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Dir: Stephen Hopkins (12A, 134 mins)
A bio-pic of black athlete Jesse Owens who triumphed in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games in the face of Hitler and the rise of the Nazis, Race is a solid if formulaic drama. Stephan James stars as Owens, whose athletic history is dealt with briskly until he comes across Jason Sudeikis’ coach who takes Owens on amidst the bigotry and racism of 1930s America. Despite Stephan James’ best efforts, the film only really springs to life when we get to the 1936 Olympics themselves, Owens wins his gold medals and is snubbed by Hitler. There are moments of nuance, but the film never really probes deep enough into Owens’ character to truly satisfy. There’s an interesting subplot about whether to boycott the 1936 Olympics peopled by William Hurt and Jeremy Irons, but Race remains a worthy if often bland retelling of a wondrous historical moment. Opens June 3
words KEIRON SELF