Nothing Hits Harder Than The Truth

Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Morse, Arliss Howard, Mike O'Malley, Eddie Marsan, Hill Harper, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Stephen Moyer, Richard T. Jones, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"If you don't speak for the dead, who will? You are of the Igbo tribe, Bennet. When you have the truth, the thing you are told you cannot do is the thing you must do. Embrace that, and nothing created by man can bring you down." – Prema Mutiso

Why watch this? One brave doctor takes on the NFL about the affects of concussions.

Plot Summary: Dr. Bennet Omalu, a brilliant forensic pathologist, uncovers a devastating, progressive brain disease in former professional football players caused by repeated head trauma. When he attempts to share these scientific findings, he faces intense hostility and a massive corporate cover-up from the powerful NFL. Despite threats to his career and reputation, Omalu bravely fights to expose the truth and protect athletes from the sport's hidden dangers.
 

Dad's Preview: I played football, like so many in America. Friday Night Lights. Cheerleaders. Grass and glory. By my best recollection, I sustained two concussions. My first healed because I was held out of practice six weeks due to a fractured cheek bone. The other, I rested the remainder of the quarter, then went back in after halftime. The Steeler's center, Mike Webster, sustained an estimated 70,000 blows to his head in his storied career. This true story takes on the topic, and how one physician took on the vaunted NFL and its selfish attempts to cover it up. Dr. Omalu's work has led to some major reforms in sports regarding these brain injuries. Will Smith really excels as the good doctor, and it is his understated performance that makes the film work.

Columbia Pics, LStar Capital, Village Roadshow
Pics, Scott Free Prod.; Sony Pictures Releasing