Rating: 4/5
Everyone has a story to tell. F. Gary Gray brought to life the true story of famous rap group N.W.A with intensity and raw emotion. A powerful film from beginning to end, “Straight Outta Compton” is an outstanding biopic worth watching.
“Straight Outta Compton” relates the rise and fall of N.W.A and borrows its title from their 1988 debut album. It tells the story of five boys from the hood’: Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell) DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.) and MC Ren (Aldis Hodges). N.W.A used brutally honest lyrics and die-hard beats. The group put their anger and frustrations about life in the neighborhood of Compton into a powerful weapon; their music. Their explicit lyrics stiled controversy. Songs like “F*** the Police” focused on conflict caused by police brutality between law enforcement and black citizens.
Actors looked identical to the real members of the group, but their acting lacked emotion at the beginning. Jackson’s intensity didn’t match the egotistic cops. Law enforcement had more attitude when they used force on slamming him on their car and searching him for drugs. Jackson’s response lacked frustration and he appeared to care less doing the scene. Even when talking back to the cops for threatening his mother life, he could of uped his anger. Emotional display improved tremendously as the film progressed, especially with Jackson, Hawkins and Mitchell also connected with the audience on an emotional level, with events of death and betrayal.
The film could have been shorter, two hours in you get bored and wonder if the movie will ever end. Though the story was well told, the movie packed too much into 2 ½ hours, as if the filmmakers had a checklist of events and celebrity cameos they needed to include. Scenes such as Dr. Dre meeting Snoop Dogg for the first time weren’t necessary and wouldn’t interfere with the plot’s focus on N.W.A. Because the end of the film it shows the lives of the real Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, showing the real Snoop Dogg telling a reporter how Dre is the reason for his successful career as a rapper.
Overall “Straight Outta Compton” is a must see. It’s an outstanding biopic to fans who grew up listening to these artists, and those who haven’t heard it will enjoy the story surrounding N.W.A. You will leave the theater satisfied.
