Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of familiarity with the rap
group NWA, as well as the entire history of
rap in the late 1980’s through the
1990’s. I’ve heard of Ice Cube and Dr.
Dre but haven’t listened to hardly any of their music; instead I know Cube mainly
through his film career (“Boyz n the Hood,” “Are We There Yet?” etc.) and Dre
via his line of Beats headphones. The name Eazy-E rings a bell but again I
don’t know anything about him and haven't listened to his music. Pathetic
right? But that’s the way it goes sometimes.
So I went into F Gary Gray’s new biographical film “Straight
Outta Compton” hoping to be entertained and learn about these influential
musicians. I’m pleased to report that it succeeded on both fronts: “Straight
Outta Compton” is an informative, timely, hugely entertaining, moving tribute
to the musical group and a celebration of the Gangsta rap movement. It isn’t solely a musician biopic (NWA was
short lived) but a portrait of a Cultural Revolution too.
In 1988 five guys-- Ice Cube, (O’Shea Jackson Jr. Ice Cube’s
real life son) Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell) DJ Yella (Neil
Brown Jr.) and MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) came together. They took their harsh
experiences growing up in crime infested Compton and translated them into a new
kind of music that directly addressed the contemporary climate of frustration
and unrest. NWA (and the subsequent side ventures that came after the group
broke up) helped establish the Gangsta rap subgenre--a subgenre that would go
on to influence an entire generation of Hip Hop artists and continues to
influence artists today.
It’s an amazing story and Gray gives it the rich and
sprawling film epic treatment it deserves. At a daunting two and half hours the
picture covers three significant time periods: life in Compton before NWA, the
yearlong period that NWA was together under the management of Jerry Heller
(Paul Giamatti, fast talking, nervous and supportive with a hint of slimy) and
the post NWA period in which Ice Cube launched his solo rap career, Eazy-E
continued to work with Heller and Dr. Dre cofounded Death Row records with Suge
Knight (R Marcos Taylor, doing a spot on impression. He’s almost as
intimidating as the real Knight).
“Straight Outta Compton” is enthralling to watch. From
brutal street violence and police brutality, to the brotherly affection felt
between the young artists and the tense feuds that develop in the post NWA
period, Gray captures this hectic revolutionary atmosphere with energetic
authenticity. Matthew Libatique’s (“Black Swan”) fluid hand held cinematography
immerses the viewer in this world; his camera constantly tracking in and out
parties, studio recording sessions and electrifying concerts (reminiscent of
the camera work in the American sagas made by Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas
Anderson or Robert Altman) making the film pop.
Where “Straight Outta Compton” excels the best is in the story
and character development; the overall evolution from tightknit tribe to
dispersed rivals is well defined. In the
first two sections Gray takes great care in establishing the bond between the
five members. A lot of time is spent on the smaller, intimate moments; in the
recording studios or backstage as they joke around with one another and lend
encouragement. They’re a united front; they all come from the same place, are
all fed with the way they’re treated and looked at by outsiders. One of the
things I appreciate most about the film is the way it takes intense and dour
situations and makes them into positive experiences. At one point the five are
harassed by police -- a harrowing
frustrating sequence to watch but something good comes out of it (a song ). This
part of the movie is about powering through bad situations, something the five
of them have had to do their entire life. They refuse to be kept down and they
have each other.
This strong sense of persistence and brotherhood makes their
eventual falling out all the more devastating because we’ve come to know them
as a unit. But as is often the case fame alienates them and instills a rivalry.
They band together at first because all they had is each other but with success
comes independent mindedness and egotism.
Dre is the most ambitious of the group, feeling more at home
producing music and so its not surprising to see him break off from the group
and co found his own record label. Meanwhile Cube is more short-tempered and
skeptical from the beginning--skeptical of Heller and the record deal NWA signs
and decides to launch his solo career. E’s arc is perhaps the most interesting
and tragic; he goes from being reluctant to even get in front a microphone to
the leader of NWA and eventually allows himself to be taken advantage of. As
for the remaining two: MC Ren and DJ Yella function more as secondary
characters. Even a two and half hour running time isn’t long enough to fully
develop five different characters.
Thankfully however, Cube, Dre and E (the prominent members
of NWA) evolve into well-rounded characters; they’re likable underdogs but at
the same time their flaws (adultery, recklessness, selfishness etc.) are prominently
displayed. The actors playing them give raw, impassioned performances and the
fact that they’re relatively unknown actors gives the movie another layer of
authenticity. These are young and hungry performers trying to make a name for
themselves, just like the NWA musicians were back then.
Gray also makes good use of the actual NWA songs beyond
simply live concerts. Going back to the police harassment scene, the tense
incident leads to the creation of the song “F—the Police” (one of their most
famous songs) and later on when the group has parted ways rap is used as a tool
for battle. Through these examples, the director portrays just how much the
music is intertwined with their surroundings. The songs are inserted
organically into the movie—helping to drive the narrative forward and develop
the characters
Is the movie flawless? Of course not. Some material gets glossed
over and there are abrupt shifts in tone, making things feel melodramatic at
times. But “Straight Outta Compton” is an engrossing and important film that
should be seen immediately. It tells a significant story about significant
musicians. And it’s timely! With all the recent police shootings, talk of
racial inequality and the Black Lives Matter Movement, it couldn’t have come
sooner. Seeing the group perform “F—the Police” in front of a massive,
enthusiastic crowd one night in Detroit seems like it could have happened
yesterday. I don’t think a movie needs to be timely in order to be good but it
certainly doesn’t hurt.
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