42

Brian Helgeland's 42 (US, 2013) - An icon in both sport and the civil rights movement, Jackie Robinson is an important figure in post-World War II US history. Maybe that’s why writer-director Brian Helgeland’s 42 feels almost over-respectful in its solid but rarely inspiring recounting - with relative unknown Chadwick Boseman in the central role - of how Robinson broke baseball’s ‘colour barrier’ in the late 1940s and opened a door of opportunity for generations of black athletes. RATING: 3.