‘Race’ presents no hurdles

This+film+really+captured+a+historic+event+well+and+made+viewers+feel+as+if+they+were+actually+present+at+the+1936+Olympics.+

Rated 4/5 Stars

This film really captured a historic event well and made viewers feel as if they were actually present at the 1936 Olympics.

“Out there, there ain’t no black and white, there’s only fast and slow. Nothing matters – not color, not money, not even hate”– Jesse Owens, 1936 Olympic Gold Medalist.

A movie that had a lot of hype to it, a movie I would have wished to given five stars but settled on four, a movie that brought the past to modern-day society, a movie that opened the eyes of many — “Race.”

I had many high expectations for this movie being that it was a big event in history, and because I was inspired by how motivating and empowered Jesse Owens (Stephan James) was in this film, but in some aspects the movie itself did fall short. The title itself comes off as a bigger meaning than the movie as a whole because race describes how Owens was one of 18 African Americans who went to the Berlin Olympics, and race describes how Owens was a four-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field. The movie basically tells us what we should already know, but it was a feeling of thinking you were there in that era actually watching the historic event.

With the high expectations I had for this movie I was pretty disappointed in the scene where he went to Berlin, Germany. It didn’t even look like older times, meaning it could have looked more like the 1930’s. Although this event revolved around racism, the authors and directors turn racism into an important character almost, and give us less information on the main focus of the movie, which I assumed would be Owens. Rather than Owens telling the story from a first person’s perspective, his sport track and field made the story and or carried the plot. There’s always a good and bad to everything, and honestly this movie comes up more gold than anything. “Race” really captures certain moments in marvelous ways, in ways that make you feel as if you’re Owens himself. Each and every character playing their role in the movie just as identical to the person they were playing, it was like watching history replayed itself in front of your eyes.

It was a very eye opening and great film from beginning to end, although it could have been a better hand off from start to finish.