The historic story of track and field star Jesse Owens is as inspirational as they come. Owens competed in the testy 1936 Olympics, which took place in Berlin, German. Of course, the games were overseen by Nazi leaders, making it the most controversial Olympic games that the world will ever see.
This is the main focus of the Owens biopic Race, directed by Stephen Hopkins, in his first full-length feature since 2007’s forgettable The Reaping. We first meet Jesse Owens (Stephan James) as he’s leaving home to attend The Ohio State University to join their track and field team. The team is coached by former track and field star Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis), who is unable to find the same success in his coaching career as he once did as an athlete.
As you expect to find in these sort of inspirational sport tales, Owens and Snyder take some time to get on the same page and see eye to eye. But Hopkins actually doesn’t drag it out too long, and before you know it Owens is making history at Ann Arbor, Michican, where he set three world records and tied a fourth in the span of 45 minutes. From there the national spotlight was directly on him, and it was time to prepare for his next big test, the 1936 summer Olympics.
Only this wasn’t just your regular Olympics. It was much bigger than sport. It took place in Berlin, Germany overseen by the hateful German leaders in Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels. The timing wasn’t great to come to Germany, as evident to the angry protesters who picketed outside of the Olympic Committee demanding a full boycott of the games. Inside the Committee hall, Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt), president of the Amateur Athletic Union, pleads with his peers to vote to boycott the games. It’s not that easy as he’s faced strong opposition from American Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons), who wants America to stand pact. Brundage is sent to Germany to make sure the Germany abide by the Americans rules, with no Nazi racism being tolerated in any way. The Germans agree, but not before striking a shady deal with the committee president.
As a black man in 1930s America, participating in the Olympic games was the best way to fight back against the racist ideologies not only from Germany, but also from his own country. These Olympic games served as more than just an opportunity to compete for his race or country, but to compete for all those who have been oppressed throughout history. When the NAACP comes to him and asks him to make a statement by boycotting the Olympics, he contemplates it, but realizes his impact would be much larger doing what he knows what to do: beating others on the field.
There are many degrees to the story of Jesse Owens, to the point where his story is just one part of the bigger picture. Hopkins does his best to manage them all, although you can’t help but feel like Owens himself falls a bit to the back burner. Not every facet of Ownes story is given equal time to shine. With so much focus on the competition and racial tensions while in Germany for the games, there’s not much time given to backstories such as his rocky relationship with his wife Ruth Owens (Shanice Banton) or to historic German director Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten), and her impact on filming the games (which resulted in the documentary Olympia). Race would have benefited from taking a darker stab at the controversial topics of racial bigotry it brings up, but mostly avoids tacking too head on.
Relative newcomer Stephan James is a good fit as Owens, having no problem leading the film and will certainly be pegged for more roles in the future. Yet, the biggest surprise here is the dramatic turn by Jason Sudeikis as Coach Snyder. It isn’t a flashy performance, but Sudeikis offers a welcome presence that was a surprising good fit. As you’d expect, both Jeremy Irons and William Hurt are terrific as Avery Brundage and Jeremiah Mahoney, and there’s some powerful moments from German actors Barnaby Metschurat (who plays the despicable Joseph Goebbels) and David Kross (who plays German track and field star Luz Long).
Ultimately Race treads a bit too closely to the predictable sports biopic territory to truly stand out amongst the rest of the pack. It may not be the perfect Owens biopic, but when it’s all said and done, Race is overall a satisfying ride that will introduce Owens to a new generation, and that in itself is a victory.
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