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    Race

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    The portions of “Race” that explore Jesse Owens’ feats at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin and the film’s imagery shook me with excitement, pride and even fear. Other aspects of the film feel slightly… mundane. It’s a good movie, but I have some issues with it, particularly during the pre-Berlin scenes.

    Based on the true story, Stephan James plays Jesse Owens. Trained by Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) to compete in the 1936 Olympic games in Nazi ruled Germany, his journey there is filled with obstacles and the event itself an ordeal worthy of legend.

    Everyone likes an underdog and the higher the odds are stacked against ‘em, the sweeter the victories. Jesse and Snyder’s goal is to compete in the Olympics and in terms of sporting events, the competition doesn’t get any tougher both before to qualify and during. Piled on top of this is the issue of racism and the trials this loathsome practice brings forth. Jesse Owens was a black man in a time where there was blatant racism in America. You think that’s bad? Try participating in the Olympic games hosted by Nazi Germany. That’s where the emotional strafes come in. There are tremendous pressures put upon our hero. A large chunk of the film is dedicated to the internal dilemma the athlete had to face and the pressures he was under by choosing to go or boycotting the games. Do you compete and tell the world “Hey, I feel like it’s ok to be here, these are Olympic games like any other”? Do you risk staying at home to tell a message but missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime?

    I enjoyed Jesse’s story a lot. I don’t know what I would have done in his shoes and even though you kind of know what is going to happen (it is history), there’s plenty of tension throughout. To help the audience feel that pressure, extra care was put in the presentation of the Olympic events. There are shots of Berlin’s stadium where you see the crow get up and cheer then-chancellor Adolf Hitler. It’s absolutely terrifying. It’s a gun pointed right at your head. It also feels you with a furor; you want Jesse to win so bad that if it doesn’t the world might as well end.

    Additionally, I found some of the side characters to be very compelling. Jesse’s head competitor at the games, Carl ‘Luz’ Long (David Kross) for instance: he’s not just a one-dimensional pawn of the Nazi regime set to destroy the American racer. He doesn’t have a lot of scenes, but you look forward to every one. Other rivals and some of the members of the U. S. Olympic racing team (particularly Jeremy Ferdman as Marty Glickman and Giacomo Gianniotti as Sam Stoller) are equally adept at grabbing your attention.

    When the film gets to Berlin, you can’t take your eyes off of it and you forget that you’re watching a movie. You’re in the moment and ready to cry in despair or jump out of your seat in joy when the races begin. You may have noticed that I’ve had little to say about what happens prior to the games. It’s not because this aspect of the film is bad. There are good moments during the first half, but having seen the whole picture, many of the points that focus on Jesse’s normal life feel banal. On the one hand it’s important for the audience to get to know the hero before the climax so that you really understand how big this victory or defeat will be. On the other, there are so many other people in the film that could have used more screen time, Stoller and Glickman for example. You don’t get nearly enough of them considering how they must have felt at those same games. There must have been so many parallels between these two Jewish athletes and Jesse Owens and you only get a glimpse. I feel as though writers Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, as well as director Stephen Hopkins knew this in a way, which is why there are points where the picture loses focus. It leaves Jesse completely to follow members of America’s Olympic organizations or Leni Riefenstahl, who was charged by Hitler to document the event and turn it into the ultimate propaganda film (if you’re curious what the results are like, check out “Olympia”) The German director is fascinating. Once again, I wish the film had ditched some of Owens’ family drama so that we could have gotten to know here more. Then again, that’s what “The Wonderful, Horrible life of Leni Riefenstahl” is for I suppose. I wonder how I will feel about her portrayal in this film once I’ve viewed that documentary as well as her two best-known works, “Olympia” (1938) and “Triumph of the Will” (1935) I don’t mind this feeling of wanting more; it’s exhilarating to know that there are “Sequels” to this picture.

    “Race” is not the definitive film about the record-setting 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. There are so many stories to be told and within those stories so many elements that maybe it’s too much for a single film. But don’t let that deter you from seeing this picture. It’s a crowd pleaser. You get nuanced characters, complex ideas at work, seemingly insurmountable odds that will have you sweating and a story that truly is worth of being made into a film. Sure I spotted a couple of moments here and there that seemed a little bit artificial but that’s all right, you won’t mind. “Race” is not a perfect film, but when it works it’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 1, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  2.3.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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