Based on the story of Jesse Owens, the athlete whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.
Acting
Stephan James captures Owens' quiet, burning resolve.
Production
Berlin Olympics recreated with unsettling Nazi pageantry.
Direction
Hopkins balances stadium spectacle with intimate racial terror.
Director
Stephen Hopkins
Stephan James
Jesse Owens
Jason Sudeikis
Larry Snyder
Eli Goree
Dave Albritton
Shanice Banton
Ruth Solomon
Carice van Houten
Leni Riefenstahl
Jeremy Irons
Avery Brundage
William Hurt
Jeremiah Mahoney
David Kross
Carl "Luz" Long
Jonathan Higgins
Dean Cromwell
Tony Curran
Lawson Robertson
Amanda Crew
Peggy
Barnaby Metschurat
Joseph Goebbels
Chantel Riley
Quincella
Vlasta Vrana
St. John
Shamier Anderson
Eulace Peacock
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Jesse Owens raced against horses for money after the Olympics because amateur rules barred him from profitable competition. Hollywood didn't show that part.
Hitler's alleged snub of Owens is actually disputed — he waved at all winners early, then stopped greeting anyone after IOC pressure. The myth served American propaganda better than the messy truth.
CA
