Action star Will Smith has explored noble characters before (The Pursuit of Happyness) and you can feel him striving for awards this time. He plays a gifted doctor from Africa who, while working in the US as a forensic neuropathologist, discovers the syndrome that causes NFL players catastrophic trauma. Even though you know this from the title, the script rehashes the basic plot points over and over. It’s full of honorable intention, but the pedestrian writing, plodding direction and unwavering slow pace make it a frustrating bore. Smith’s earnest portrayal stretches his acting (thanks also to some prosthetics), but his one-note range can’t pull this film out of the tedious simplicity of its monotonous message.
(1.5 / 5)