Will Smith doesn’t have the best track record with films that put an emphasis on drama over action, especially when looking at his last decade of work. Focus arrived half-baked, Seven Pounds failed to win over audiences, but The Pursuit Of Happyness did manage to find a way into our hearts. Concussion, Smith’s latest foray into the world of pure drama, looks like it could offer the longtime screen vet a second chance at glory.

Concussion is a film about the one thing the NFL does not want to discuss. Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist who discovers the first case of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in a pro football player. He tries to alert the public to his findings, but the NFL denies his conclusions and stymies his efforts at every turn. You can view the film’s first trailer below.

You don’t have to be a fan of sports to know about CTE and the recent surge in attention it has received over the last few years. Anyone who has repeatedly experienced trauma can fall victim to this horrific degenerative disease, but football players who allow themselves to take multiple shots to the skull over numerous games spread across several years of play run a higher risk than most. It’s a very serious issue that very few in power have made an effort to bring to the nation’s attention, but maybe Concussion will be the wake up call our culture needs.

Based on the 2009 GQ article “Game Brain” by Jeanne Marie Laskas, Concussion arrives in theaters December 25. Alec Baldwin, Luke Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Albert Brooks also star. Ridley Scott produced.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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