August 14, 2014 -- This new musical biographical movie about James Brown, “The Godfather of Soul,” is ambitious, visually imaginative and it features powerful music. It portrays a musical genius, driven to achieve greatness, but haunted by demons from his past.

This warts and all portrayal is powered by a great performance by Chadwick Boseman (who played Jackie Robinson in “42”). Boseman gives a performance both subtle and powerful, featuring a bewildering combination of supreme self-confidence, volcanic anger and emotional vulnerability. Boseman did a bit of singing in the film, but mostly what you hear is the voice of the real James Brown, along with music from the original musicians who played with Brown, cleverly cut and synched into the movie from the original multi-track recordings. Boseman is ably supported by Viola Davis (“The Help”) who plays Brown's mother, Susie, Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) who plays Aunt Honey, the woman who raised Brown, and Lennie James (“The Next Three Days”) who plays Brown's abusive father, Joe.

The story begins around the time when Brown's mother decides to leave home and Brown is placed in the care of Aunt Honey, who runs a whore house. But the film frequently flashes backwards and forwards in time. Scenes of Brown's troubled childhood and adolescence are interspersed with scenes of him many years later as he oversees his business empire. His run-ins with the law, his womanizing, his hot temper and his control-freak nature are all on full display throughout his eventful life.

Sometimes Brown's younger self is placed in a scene much later in his life. In this way, along with the flashbacks, the film makes the case that James Brown's difficult childhood gave him the drive he needed to be a star entertainer.

There is a chance meeting early on between Brown and Little Richard (played by Brandon Smith) who gives Brown some helpful career pointers, but other musicians and singers are not featured in this film. There are a few clips from another recently-released film called “The T.A.M.I. Show” (a remarkable film in itself) included in this film, along with a re-enactment of his performance on that 1964 live concert show. Brown's appearance on “The T.A.M.I. Show,” hosted by Jan and Dean, includes what is considered one of his best performances ever captured on film (actually it was captured on pioneering high-definition video tape cameras). Although the Rolling Stones closed out this 1964 show, they were upstaged by Brown and the group always regretted following Brown's amazing performance (Mick Jagger was a producer of this film).

Along with James Brown, is his old friend, Bobby Byrd (played by Nelsan Ellis of “The Butler”). Brown and Byrd performed together for years until a final falling out. The relationship between Brown and Byrd forms the heart of the story. While Brown is known at the “Godfather of Soul,” this film is all about the funk. I was struck by how much Brown's music influenced Michael Jackson and other musicians who followed him. There is also a Boston concert in the film which shows Brown's influence in the Civil Rights movement.

The time-traveling nature of this film is enhanced by its imaginative visual style. Brown frequently breaks “the fourth wall” and looks right at the camera, talking directly to the audience. In one scene, he talks about himself to the audience, while another version of himself is also on screen, performing on stage at the same time, dressed in an identical costume.

Although there are some fine musical numbers in this film, it seemed to me it didn't fully capture the flamboyant power and emotion of a James Brown performance. It does present a personality with a wide range of emotions and motivations. Brown is shown to be a shrewd businessman, who is nevertheless capable of acting against his own self interest. His longtime business partner, Ben Bart, is faultlessly played by Dan Aykroyd (“The Blues Brothers”). Brown is a fascinating character, but I do wish the film had been more about the music and the performances. This film rates a B.

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