Concussion

“Concussion” (2015) has the feel of a corporate espionage flick, what with all the liars in suits, suspicious suicides and a lonely hero raging against the machine. Except the machine is the NFL and we know how the story ends. Actually, the story hasn’t ended. For the next 40 years (think about that) retired athletes are going to be going mad and then dropping dead due to repeated blows to the head on the football field. Worse, for them, it’s already too late (think about that, too). It makes the film somewhat anticlimactic, despite a solid performance by Will Smith.

 

Bad Boys II

“Bad Boys II” (2003) begins with a shootout and car chase that wrecks half the vehicles in Dade County, including a boat. It ends with an invasion of Cuba led by Miami PD, the DEA and the CIA. Is it necessary to mention it’s a Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer production? The two hours in between are filled with more shootouts and car chases, plus wacky banter between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. There’s a plot that involves catching a bad guy, but it’s superfluous. A good movie for when you want to turn off your brain and watch shit blow up.

Ali

Muhammad Ali was the first great sports figure created by the television age. Everybody knows his story. So instead of trying to retell that story via a conventional biopic, “Ali” (2001) just kind of does its own thing. It’s a cross between an art film and a faux documentary. It’s fascinating, because, I mean, you know the real story, but you never know when the movie is going to stick to reality or just start freelancing a non-linear rearrangement of somewhat actual events. Best of all, Will Smith’s supporting cast is an awesome combination of minimalist and scenery chewing performances.