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STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Though the screenplay could have used a little economy, the 2015 epic Straight Outta Compton is an unflinching and multi-layered look at the advent of "gangsta" rap through the rise and eventual ugly destruction of NWA (Niggaz with Attitude) that touches on the genesis of rap, life on the streets in the fiery neighborhood of Compton, California where the five original members of the group, tired of dodging police, channel their anger into a different kind of music, comprised of angry rhymes and angry beats, but where this film really hits a bullseye is as an accurate look at something that I like to refer as "the business of show business."
The film begins by showing us the lifestyle that the five original members of NWA are simultaneously trying to escape and utilizing as the motivation for the angry music that immediately speaks to the urban youth of the late 1980's. The music is angry, in your face, and promotes violence, particularly against the police who are the primary motivation for the hate in the music. This all comes to head in a powerhouse scene where the group is performing in Detroit and are warned prior to being allowed onstage that they are not to perform one of their songs called "F*** the Police", but they perform it anyway.
The group begins to find some mainstream acceptance thanks to the guidance of a 2nd rate music producer named Jerry Heller (well played by Paul Giamatti) who is able to rein in the group when they need to be but is not all he appears to be either. Things get even stickier when Jerry seems to be protecting the interests of Easy E, but not so much with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, which eventually has Cube and Dre pursuing solo careers and Jerry and Easy suffering some form of consequences for their actions.
The pleasant surprise in a film like this is the balance the story provides. We understand these artists' desire to get away from their life on the streets, but we also understand the police who get nothing but defiance and disrespect when they are just doing their jobs. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, like a scene where the group is harrassed by the police as they are leaving the studio for absolutely no reason. but are bailed out by Jerry when he arrives on the scene. I found myself getting very angry about the thought of what would have happened to these guys if Jerry hadn't shown up. One because they were innocent of any wrongdoing, yet they were nasty and disrespectful to the police officers who might have cut them some slack if they had been quiet and cooperative.
Director F. Gray Gary's directorial technique has a real Spike Lee influence to it minus the pretension and preachiness that comes with a lot of Lee's work. The film is a little on the long side, but there isn't a lot of wasted screen time either. Gary also gets powerhouse performances from Giamatti, a kind of role the actor can play in his sleep, Jason Mitchell as Easy E, and especially O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube. An important look at a show business phenomenon that doesn't pull punches and doesn't take sides.
Though the screenplay could have used a little economy, the 2015 epic Straight Outta Compton is an unflinching and multi-layered look at the advent of "gangsta" rap through the rise and eventual ugly destruction of NWA (Niggaz with Attitude) that touches on the genesis of rap, life on the streets in the fiery neighborhood of Compton, California where the five original members of the group, tired of dodging police, channel their anger into a different kind of music, comprised of angry rhymes and angry beats, but where this film really hits a bullseye is as an accurate look at something that I like to refer as "the business of show business."
The film begins by showing us the lifestyle that the five original members of NWA are simultaneously trying to escape and utilizing as the motivation for the angry music that immediately speaks to the urban youth of the late 1980's. The music is angry, in your face, and promotes violence, particularly against the police who are the primary motivation for the hate in the music. This all comes to head in a powerhouse scene where the group is performing in Detroit and are warned prior to being allowed onstage that they are not to perform one of their songs called "F*** the Police", but they perform it anyway.
The group begins to find some mainstream acceptance thanks to the guidance of a 2nd rate music producer named Jerry Heller (well played by Paul Giamatti) who is able to rein in the group when they need to be but is not all he appears to be either. Things get even stickier when Jerry seems to be protecting the interests of Easy E, but not so much with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, which eventually has Cube and Dre pursuing solo careers and Jerry and Easy suffering some form of consequences for their actions.
The pleasant surprise in a film like this is the balance the story provides. We understand these artists' desire to get away from their life on the streets, but we also understand the police who get nothing but defiance and disrespect when they are just doing their jobs. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, like a scene where the group is harrassed by the police as they are leaving the studio for absolutely no reason. but are bailed out by Jerry when he arrives on the scene. I found myself getting very angry about the thought of what would have happened to these guys if Jerry hadn't shown up. One because they were innocent of any wrongdoing, yet they were nasty and disrespectful to the police officers who might have cut them some slack if they had been quiet and cooperative.
Director F. Gray Gary's directorial technique has a real Spike Lee influence to it minus the pretension and preachiness that comes with a lot of Lee's work. The film is a little on the long side, but there isn't a lot of wasted screen time either. Gary also gets powerhouse performances from Giamatti, a kind of role the actor can play in his sleep, Jason Mitchell as Easy E, and especially O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube. An important look at a show business phenomenon that doesn't pull punches and doesn't take sides.
Last edited by Gideon58; 12-31-20 at 09:32 PM.
we're all individuals and so we will never all like the same movies. So no worries.
