Straight Outta Compton

Here is probably one of the most energized and entertaining movies I've seen this summer.  Straight Outta Compton contains not one single action sequence or special effect, yet it is leagues more exciting than most of the action movies we've had so far this season.  Those who dismiss this as your typical "behind the music" bio-picture are missing the point.  This is as raw and as alive as any movie I have seen this year.

The movie tracks the humble beginnings, rise, eventual break up and aftermath of one of the most influential gangsta rap artists, NWA, whose debut album (which shares the title of the film) not only helped legitimize rap music, but brought it into the forefront of controversy and media attention.  This is an eye-opening and ambitious dramatization which kicks off in 1986, when the founding members of the group were teens who dreamed of escaping their dreary lives, and the daily abuse and suspicion of the LAPD, which given some recent events, gives the film a sadly current tone, rather than the history lesson it should be.  The group forms when drug dealer Easy-E (Jason Mitchell) decides to form his own record label, and hires close friends Ice Cube (played by the rap artist's real-life son, O'Shea Jackson, Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), DJ Yella (Neil Brown, Jr.) and MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) to create their own group, and musically vent their frustrations about their lives and the daily prejudice they had to endure.

Their hope is to just become local heroes, and maybe sell a few albums which they produce themselves.  But then veteran music producer Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) is drawn to their music and their angry yet vibrant live performances.  He is able to get them a professional recording contract with a small time record company whose only hit so far had been a California Raisins tie-in album that went Gold.  The album they produce not only helps to bring Gangsta Rap into the mainstream music industry, but it ignites a firestorm of controversy and even violent anger in some instances.  One of the more thrilling scenes in the film is built around a concert in Detroit, where they play a song that the local police forbid them to play, due to its inflammatory lyrics.  The ensuing riot at the concert and the public reaction to the events generates some wonderful drama that feels honest and real.  The fact that both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre served as producers on the film probably helps with the honest feel of the film.  Though there are a number of moments that do feel dramatized, the movie never feels overly whitewashed.

Straight Outta Compton really does not deviate too far from the music biography playbook, but the energy of the performances and the direction of F. Gary Gray keeps things from feeling overly familiar.  Shortly after the group finds national success, disputes between the members begins to grow.  Cube, and eventually Dre, break off from the group in order to take on solo careers when they feel that Jerry is not paying them what they deserve for the work they've done.  In another subplot, Dre goes on to form Death Row Records with bodyguard turned rapper Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor), who in this movie is portrayed as somewhat of an over the top villain.  Regardless, aside from some overly dramatized moments and some melodrama, the tone of the film feels real.  The lead characters are not flawless, make some big mistakes, and the movie shows this in quite a bit of detail.  Sure, some details are missing, but what is here has been handled with a kind of gritty realism we don't usually see in musical bio-pics.  This is not a rags to riches story, it is the story of these individual men, and the paths they took in life, and where they ultimately ended up.

This is a movie that feels like it has been well thought through in just about every area.  The casting is spot on, with many of the actors resembling the real faces of who they are playing.  The directing style is kinetic and energized, but never confusing or overly stylized.  Most of all, the movie just creates a wonderful sense of time and place.  As someone who remembers watching some of the events the film covers, such as the L.A. Riots of 1991, I was astonished by the level of detail, and how many of the events don't seem staged.  This is a movie that is truly alive.  Yes, it has been heavily dramatized, but the performances and the relationships that the cast creates sells every scene.  This is easily one of the best-cast movies I have seen so far this year.  Nothing feels forced, and the movie as a whole feels genuine.

There is so much to admire here that Straight Outta Compton begins to resemble a small cinematic miracle.  Even if it's not entirely perfect, it works to such a high degree that we forget everything and just enjoy.  This is not only one of the most exciting films to come along this year, but also possibly one of the best.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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