Entrenched in the racial tumult of Los Angeles in the mid-1980's, a group of aspiring rappers banded together to revolutionize the global consumption of hip-hop and popular culture. NWA was born out of racial frustration and the disadvantaged economics of their South Central neighborhood. F. Gary Gray directs this biopic about the rise to stardom for the act that earned the moniker of "The World's Most Dangerous Group", featuring Ice Cube's son O'Shea Jackson Jr. playing the role of his father, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, and Jason Mitchell as the late Eazy-E. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi
Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Corey Antonio Hawkins, O'shea Jackson, Jr., Jason
Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown, Jr.
Release Date: Aug
14, 2015
Rated: R Language Throughout, Drug Use, Strong
Sexuality/Nudity and Violence
Runtime: 2 hr. 27 min.
Genres: Drama
Review:
F. Gary Gray’s Straight Outta Compton is a thoroughly
engaging if imperfect musical biopic. It
hits all the standard notes for this type of film with some of the moments
coming off as manufactured or inauthentic.
It’s not a massive flaw but noticeable.
Thankfully an impressive ensemble cast carries the film with strong
performances throughout with O’Shea Jackson Jr. making the biggest mark for his
uncanny impression of his father. Paul
Giamatti is saddled with the role of the shady business manager and manages to
give the role a bit more depth than expected.
The story itself might be familiar to some and totally foreign to others. Either way it’s an interesting story that’ll
keep you engaged as we watch the rise of gangster rap and its evolution. The problem the film faces is that there are
so many storylines that it does occasionally feel unfocused. In the final act, Gary
doesn’t quite seem to know where to end the story as we proceed through a
travelogue of the 90’s. It would have
benefited from some trimming to make it a more efficient film. That being said Straight Outta Compton is a
strong film that feels terribly timely as well.
B
hmmm disappointing to hear about the story structure, but sounds good nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteSolid film but could have used a slighter touch to reach greatness.
DeleteHi Daniel, interesting read. I personally haven't seen the film yet because sadly it hasn't been released here yet, and so I'll have to be patient, but I'm beyond excited so go see this one once it's out. I've heard a lot of positive things about the film, which is great! The N.W.A is slightly before my time but i'm a big hip hop fan so I'm curious to see how it all played out back in the day. Anyhow, would you be interested in sharing your reviews on Moviepilt(dot)com, I think they'd definitely be an audience for them. Shoot me an e-mail at charlotte.kotterman(at)moviepilot(dot)com if you're interested!
ReplyDeleteNot a perfect film but a strong one for sure, I think you'll enjoy it! Thank I'll give it a look.
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