Film review: 42 (12A)

Thursday 12 September 2013 19:18 BST

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Brian Helgeland's late 1940s-set biopic of black baseball star Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) is respectful and a little hagiographical.

Handsomely shot in a Masterpiece Theatre way, it shows Robinson overcoming virulent racism in post-war America to become a star player at the Brooklyn Dodgers.

There's an engaging performance from Harrison Ford as Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey, a crusty , cigar-smoking patriarch determined to ensure that Robinson is accepted in the Major League.

This is a rousing story, well told, but lacks the edge that Spike Lee (he tried to make a Robinson film) might have brought to it.

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Film review: 42 (12A)

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