“Race” is the harrowing story of the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and the events leading up to them. This is all told through the story of Olympian Jesse Owens. The film explores the troubles that Owens faces on his rise to become the fastest man on earth, and director Stephen Hopkins tells the story with passion of an all-American track star going for the gold.

For as good as the direction in this movie is, it doesn’t hold a candle to the acting. Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Irons all do a wonderful job with their roles, and it would be a surprise if Oscar nominations don’t come out of this film.

Sudeikis is especially great as the coach because he is able to inspire so much confidence in the characters and the audience. One scene that perfectly incapsulates this is a scene in the third act when he is speaking to Owens about when he didn’t get to run in the Olympics when he was younger.

James, who plays Owens in the film, also adds to the talent of acting. His line delivery is simply spot on. All of the character’s motivation seems fairly believable and understandable.

The film does a great job of making you think you know what’s going to happen and then doing something different. Most of the shots are successful at establishing the setting and what’s happening at that time in the story.

The film’s message is one of the enduring American spirit in spite of differences. The movie really shows how a national event like the Olympics can unite everyone under a common banner.

There are some points in the movie that could have been cut for time. The scene that introduces Owen’s family could have been cutdown considerably. The whole scene with the woman at the bar could have been cut as well and nothing of substance would have been lost.

It’s clear that some edits were made to keep the film PG-13. There is a scene when a character is badly hurt and you can see characters reacting to it, but the actual injury is out of frame to keep the audience from seeing it.

Even with its faults, it’s a movie worthy of 4/5 stars that deserves more attention.