I heard someone say that this film was made for high school U.S. history classrooms, and that description feels pretty accurate. While the true story it tells is both important and compelling, the movie itself feels a little by-the-numbers, hitting all the various marks for a sports biopic/racial inequality historical film without – for the most part – letting any of it hit home. (Also, the title is totally on-the-nose. As in, so on-the-nose, it could practically be a parody title.)
Jesse Owens heads to Ohio State University with big ambitions. As the first person in his family to go to college, he wants to do well, and he wants to earn enough to support his girlfriend and daughter. He also wants to run. His impressive showing on the track impresses Larry Snyder, the school’s coach who’s in a slump and is ready for a big winner. As Jesse trains and his star begins to rise, Snyder has him looking toward the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, but the looming menace of the Hitler regime makes many question whether it’s right for Jesse to go at all.
It’s hard to put my finger on why this film doesn’t quite measure up for me. The acting is good, it has an interesting story to tell, and the period setting is well-realized. But something feels off. It feels staid, like we’re watching it unfold at arm’s length. Much of the problem is down to the fact that, while it’s Jesse’s story, it’s not exactly his narrative. I feel like we don’t have much of a chance to get into his head and see what makes him tick, to understand why he loves running, how he’s affected by the discrimination he experiences, or what he thinks of his celebrity status.
It’s not down to Stephan James (Selma,) who does a fine job. Whenever the film gives him a chance to provide a little insight into Jesse – when he’s angry or determined or cocky or overjoyed – the movie comes alive for a few minutes and becomes really engaging. Much of the time, however, it’s like the film isn’t all that interested in Jesse as a person, which is perplexing.
The best extended sequence of the film is when they actually get to Berlin and we see all that goes down there. There are the competitions, of course, in which the suspense comes through even though history’s already told us the outcomes, but there’s more to be explored as well. I’m interested in the dichotomy of American Olympics officials who desperately need Jesse as their star runner but at the same time treat him with contempt, calling him “boy” and giving him segregated accommodations; it seems so paradoxical that they would recognize his use but not his worth – does that make sense? I also like seeing the Americans struggle with the tightrope of competing in Nazi Germany and reminders that not all Germans felt the same way about Hitler.
In addition to James, plenty of other familiar faces to be had. Jason Sudeikis does well with the relatively archetypal Snyder; the character’s dynamic with Jesse is great. The film also features Carice van Houten (Melisandre from Game of Thrones,) Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, David Cross from The Reader, Tony Curran (van Gogh from series 5 of Who,) Barnaby Metschurat (Tobias from The Spanish Apartment) as an incredibly icy Joseph Goebbels, Tim McInnerny (Percy!), and Glynn Turman (Mayor Royce from The Wire.) Phew!
Warnings
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