Race (2016) Review!!!

Synopsis – Jesse Owens’ quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy.

My Take – Jesse Owens is one of those athletes, who is unfortunately not as remembered as other prominent members of history, who were able to overcome many obstacles to reach ultimate greatness. The reason why Jesse Owens was one of my favorites in the history book while growing up, was not just because he was an excellent athlete, but he was among the first people to take stab at the growing Nazi rule, who considered people of color in the same tier as the Jewish. Standing in the heart of the Berlin Stadium, facing 120,000 people believing in ideals which were a direct threat to his own existence, with one guy with a small moustache leading the pack of wolves, Owens managed to set records with 4 gold medals. The Olympics have never supposed to be about politics, but when the games are set in a state with a controversial government, it’s understandable that people are going to take sides on what’s more important. Is it better to go to the Olympics for yourself or to take a stand with your country and protest? Despite the good looking trailers, I had my apprehensions that the biopic (like many others) would emphasise on him just winning awards rather than about him surviving in such a time. Plus the title of the film (also shared by a very popular Bollywood film of a completely different genre) seemed really off putting for such kind of a film. Luckily, the film was, by large a wonderful and a worthy tribute to perhaps the greatest track and field athlete ever. Yes, it does show some of the seamier sides of the African-American – and, to a lesser degree, the Jewish – experience at home and during the Berlin games as well as the German people’s attitudes at the time but director Stephen Hopkins wisely does not dwell on them too much, since to do so would bring a biased perspective to the earth-shaking events which were unfolding at the time and the outcome of which had yet to be determined.

The story follows Jesse Owens (Stephan James) from 1933 through 1936. A prominent high school track athlete, Jesse entered The Ohio State University in 1933 and began his NCAA track career under the tutelage of legendary track coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis). Snyder recognized greatness in Jesse the first time he watched him run and let Jesse know that he would be able to compete and win in the 1936 Olympic Games. The film moves from Jesse’s life and troubles to Nazi Germany and back again. The story of The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and the American Olympic Committee (AOC), struggling with the decision to attend or boycott the games, runs parallel to Jesse’s trials, tribulations and his ultimate success. When the AAU and AOC make the decision to attend the games, the NAACP asks Jesse to refuse to enter. Due to the atrocities being committed against the Jewish population in Germany and the open hatred the Nazis expressed toward other races as well, the NAACP felt Jesse’s refusal to attend the games would make a strong statement. The decision to attend the games by Owens turned out to be a much more powerful statement than could ever have been imagined. Unlike the most recent bio stories that put a particular focus on the subject (like with Steve Jobs and the three act structure around presentations), director Stephen Hopkins, know more for his entries in the action/adventure genre like The Ghost & The Darkness and Predator 2, tells the story as it probably was. It serves as a good educational lesson about Jessie Owens and what he was facing during his time in the Olympics. Instead of just solely focusing on Owens’ life (which it headlines), this movie instead adopts multiple story lines playing out in common timelines, a technique often employed to either keep the content grounded, or to mask the absence of it, and I’m glad to report that in this one, it seems like its more of the former, than the dispiriting latter, that seems to have driven this narrative decision, again something I did not know Hopkins did well.

When it comes to historical biographies such as this one, you look for a portrayal that elicits pride, passion, and other emotions that will inspire the audience. And once more Hollywood manages to bring all of that to bear with cinematic magic. The film is packed with well edited sequences that show the struggles Owens faced in his day as he trained to become the champion. The racial favor of the times is brought in full force with extras intensely screaming with furious scowls painting their faces. Captains and financers of the Nazi regime are even more chilling, as they radiated the menacing energy we’ve come to know from history, adding suspense to the film. The emotion it brings will truly unnerve some people, and I’m sure some group will get offended by the portrayal of some controversial parts in this movie (despite the inspirational theme in this movie). Yet with all the good I’ve mentioned, I should probably talk about some of the limitations to this film. The first is of course the predictability of this story. Yes, I know when it comes to historical biographies you have only so much to work with, but it still slightly takes away from the suspense and mystery. A second limitation was the lack of seeing his relationship with his teammates that could have led to some interesting sub stories and character building. Yes we did see some of this near the end, and it was probably more important to portray the pressure placed on his shoulders, but still I would have liked to see a little more. Thirdly, the film tries to tell a lot of uninteresting side material along with the story of Jessie Owens. We get Jason Sudeikis‘ story of being a coach, Jeremy Irons and the Olympic Committee struggle, a Nazi director insuring that the games are to the liking of Hitler, and even one with a German movie maker Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten) making sure she can shoot the games properly. Even with a run time of 134 minutes, I felt it was a tad too long. At least one of these had to be cut, because these stories almost push Owens out of his own story. Nevertheless the movie tries it’s hardest to work with itself to ensure that the film belongs to Owens. Among the performances, newcomer Stephan James does an admirable job in portraying the legendary Owens. He manages to keep the emoting down to tolerable levels, presenting Jesse as a polite, respectful, family man with just enough bravado to appreciate his own God-given talents. His performances on the track (and in the broad jump), while hard to emulate the original, are convincing enough. Particularly good are the scenes showing him break or tie four world records at the Big Ten Conference Championships at Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 25th, 1935. In supporting role, Jeremy Irons, Eli Goree, Shanice Banton, Carice van Houten and William Hurt bring plenty of credibility. Though the biggest surprise is Jason Sudeikis who is primarily known for comedic roles. He is an example that comedic actors can handle dramatic material just as well. The well known funny man takes a position close to what Sylvester Stallone did in Creed with this dramatic supporting role, and it was a decent turn to see him do something a little different. On the whole, ‘Race’ is solid entertainer and very inspirational, even though the predictability brings the impact of a film down a notch, it still one of the better biopics out there. If only they could change that insipid title.