April 15 is Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball.  Commemorating and honoring the day in which Jackie Robinson became the first black player in MLB, all players and coaches wear Robinson’s number (42) on this day.

The crusade for African-American rights was one of the defining movements of the 20th Century, showcasing the American peoples ability to join together for a cause or to allow prejudice to cloud their perception of other people. Hollywood has had surprisingly little movement on making cinematic representations of figures integral to such movements (i.e. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks) but one such person has now earned a film: Jackie Robinson. In “42”, the baseball player is shown to be a turning point for the sport of baseball, a major move in the field of African-American rights, and a dang good ball player.

Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) is a superb baseball player, but has never gotten the chance to play in the white-dominated big leagues. That is, until Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) offers him the chance to make history and join the Brooklyn Dodgers. But such a move comes with an immense amount of controversy and support, all of which will make Jackie Robinson both a better player and a landmark in the history of racial segregation.

OK, just to get it out of the way: Harrison Ford; when did you become such a great actor? Don’t get me wrong, I love my “The Fugitive”, “Indiana Jones” and “Blade Runner” as much as the next guy, but in recent years flicks like “Morning Glory” and “Cowboys And Aliens” seemed to be more about paychecks than actually putting effort into his acting. Luckily, his role here is eye-opening; he makes an unbelievable transformation as Branch Rickey, adopting a superb voice that could’ve been humorous done even a bit wrong, but ends up working like charm throughout the film. Needless to say, Harrison Ford’s performance is easily the best so far in 2013.

Chadwick does a stupendous job as Jackie Robinson, showing a nice gamut of emotions throughout the film; though I felt he was a bit distant in some scenes in the middle portion of the film. The rest of the cast does fine though admittedly unimpressive performances; though two actors in particular worked wonders for me; Nicole Beharie as Jackie’ wife and Alan Tudyk as an extremely racist baseball manager. Both take potentially thankless roles and elevate them to fantastic heights.

Brian Helgeland pulls double duty here, writing and directing this feature. His directing is solid, though not exemplary but it’s the script that really makes the film excel. Sure, it’s got more cliches in it than a thousand Hallmark movies, but it makes up for it by depicting the brutal racism that existed in the time period. Instead of shying away from such interactions, Helgeland smartly depicts it in it’s cruelest forms, lending the film a sense of authenticity uncommon in these kind of sports dramas.

If there’s any flaw with the script, it’s that it’s overfilled with characters. Many of Robinson’s baseball teammates feel generic and severely underdeveloped, while others disappear for long stretches of screentime. Such oddly poor treatment of some secondary characters in the film is made up for by a terrifically written finale, filled with enough tension and suspense to put even the most cynical viewer at the edge of their seats. The best part though is the surprising addition of humor. Far from some laugh riot like “The Avengers” or “Ted”, the film still has plenty of moments that’ll get hearty laughs out of every audience member and certainly help lighten the mood of the flick.

“42” surprised me, it’s refreshingly blunt take on racism in the 1940’s and Harrison Fords astounding acting do wonders for what could’ve been a routine inspirational sports flick. While some lackluster character development might keep it from being all around perfect, it’s got heart, humor and and a knockout ending that’ll leave you cheering. Sure, the whole affair, even that great ending, is a bit cliche, but the film is expertly written and  well made. All such qualities make“42” a home run.