That is one gorgeous poster
Synopsis:
Hero is a word we hear often in sports, but heroism is not always about achievements on the field of play. "42" tells the story of two men-the great Jackie Robinson and legendary Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey-whose brave stand against prejudice forever changed the world by changing the game of baseball. In 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) put himself at the forefront of history when he signed Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team, breaking Major League Baseball's infamous color line. But the deal also put both Robinson and Rickey in the firing line of the public, the press and even other players. Facing unabashed racism from every side, Robinson was forced to demonstrate tremendous courage and restraint by not reacting in kind, knowing that any incident could destroy his and Rickey's hopes. Instead, Number 42 let his talent on the field do the talking-ultimately winning over fans and his teammates, silencing his critics, and paving the way for others to follow. (c) WB
Story:
Jackie Robinson is best known for the first black player in major league baseball and also as one of the best players in baseball history. The story is movie is pretty simple, it's the struggle (or acceptance) of Jackie in Major League Baseball and because a lot of people does not want this to happen, he just have to buck up and take it all. Story-wise it was executed perfectly, it was able to show how grim people are when it comes to races especially in the old times. The flow of the story is also good because there is not one moment that you should waste, every scene is pivotal to the next scene. This aspect was handled very good in this movie.
Acting:
The cast that is involved in this movie did a very good job on giving a great performance especially the two leads. Firstly let's have Harrison Ford, he was just stellar in this role and the angst and dedication he has for this sport is shown at a 100% and his take on it is very believable as you can really feel that this guys is rooting for Robinson to do good. Next is Chadwick Boseman, this guy was amazing in this role, I can't think of anyone who can do better in this role. He was able to show how dedicated the original Jackie Robinson is in this sport, he was also able to display the anger that Robinson might have had when he faced this type of criticisms, my favorite scene is probably when he breaks down from all of the racial discrimination.
As for the others, they were good in their roles but my complaint is that they have very short screen time and only little character development, I understand that this film is about Jackie Robinson but I can't just help myself but feel that something is missing from their characters. That said, there was one performance that really stood out for me and it was Alan Tudyk's. The guy was perfect in his role you would really want to punch the daylights out of him which is a good thing because he really achieved the goal of his character.
Music:
The music in this one was good enough for what it is, it fits well to the tone of the movie and at times it gives hope to the scene.
Cinematography:
They really captured the look of this era with the warm colors and the shots. Almost every shot was very good and the colors just pop out of the screen and almost felt like it's 3D.
In addition I just found out that they used VFX for this film, I have to give props to them, I did not expect it to be VFX because it was believable and it looks authentic. The tracking shots were also good. This is one aspect of the film that I really loved.
Direction:
Brian Helgeland is one director that I am not familiar with and as I look for his works I noticed that he has written one of the best films ever which was LA Confidential. I really liked his direction here, the pacing was just alright, it wasn't fast or slow, it just flowed perfectly and not boring. He was also able to let the actors display a great performance.
Overall:
'42' is not only one of the best feel-good movies of the year but also one of the best sports drama in recent times. The acting is good, the cinematography is beautiful and there was no dull moment. I was completely entertained by this film and I am glad to have at least a little knowledge about America's past-time sport. My verdict for this movie is a 4/5 stars.
Favorite lines:
Jackie Robinson: “You want a player who doesn’t have the guts to fight back?”
Branch Rickey: “No. I want a player who’s got the guts not to fight back.”
Jackie Robinson: “You give me a uniform, you give me a number on my back, I’ll give you the guts.”
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