Detroit

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2017)

To be honest, when I saw the trailer for this film, I debated whether or not I wanted to see it in the cinema, or if I could wait for DVD, but I went with my gut and went to the cinema, and I'm glad I did, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty). Basically it is July 23rd, 1967, an unlicensed club is celebrating the return of black veterans, the Detroit police stage a raid on the club, while arrests are taking place, a riot soon breaks out, with a mob throwing rocks at officers, looting nearby stores and starting fires, beginning the 12th Street Riot. Civil authorities, elected representatives, and emergency services are unable to maintain any semblance of order, the Michigan National Guard and Army paratroopers are authorised by Governor George W. Romney to enter Detroit to assist. On the second day of the riots, a looter is being pursued by two cops, officer Philip Krauss (Will Poulter), against orders, mortally wounds the man with a shotgun, but he is allowed to remain on active duty until his superiors can decide whether to file murder charges. Professional black R&B group The Dramatics are hoping to score a recording contract in Detroit, but seconds before their music hall performance, the police shut down the venue and order them to leave the city, and en route their bus is attacked by rioters. The group subsequently splits up, lead singer Larry Reed (Algee Smith) and his friend Fred Temple (Jacob Latimore) rent a room for the night at the local Algiers Motel, while there they meet two white girls, Julie Ann (Hannah Murray) and Karen (Kaitlyn Dever). The girls introduce Larry and Fred to their friends Carl Cooper (Jason Mitchell) and Aubrey Pollard (Nathan Davis Jr.), Carl and another friend play a prank using a starter pistol, this upsets Julie and Karen, they move to the room of Vietnam veteran Greene (Anthony Mackie), while Larry and Fred return to their room. Private security guard Melvin Dismukes (Star Wars' John Boyega) is assigned to protect a grocery store from looters alongside the Guardsmen, Carl sees them across the street, he decides to fire several blanks from his pistol in their direction to frighten them. The troops mistake the blank shots for a sniper attack and open fire on the Algiers, a detachment of police arrive, led by Krauss, who guns down Carl trying to escape, and he plants a knife next to Carl's body as he bleeds to death. The police, accompanied by Dismukes and some Guardsmen, round up everyone in the hotel and line them against the wall, they demand to know who was shooting, while searching Dismukes fails to find a weapon. Krauss orders several suspects be taken to different room and subjected to mock executions, part of a "game" to terrify the others into confessing, most of the Guardsmen and soldiers are unwilling to get involved and leave without informing anyone of Krauss's abuse. Julie and Karen are taken upstairs and begin screaming, Julie gets her clothes are torn off, Dismukes and a Guardsman are disgusted and manage to get them released from custody. Aubrey is killed during his interrogation by one of the remaining Guardsman, who was unaware that earlier executions were fake, Krauss fearing arrest permits the remaining suspects to leave, but only if they swear not to say anything to anyone, Greene and Larry agree to do so, but Fred is refuses and is shot dead. The riots start to die down, while working his other job in a factory, Dismukes is arrested, charged with murder, after Julie identified him as being present at the Algiers, Krauss and his fellow officers are questioned as well, everyone except Krauss confesses. Larry's singing career has stalled due to the trauma he experienced, he is a summoned to testify as a witness, the judge ultimately decides not to accept any of the confessions as evidence. Without a solid case, Dismukes, Krauss, and their co-defendants are acquitted of all charges by the all-white jury, Dismukes confronts Krauss with he truth, but he is powerless to get any justice for the victims. The film ends with explanations of what happened next: Dismukes moved to suburbs to escape death threats and resumed his job as a security guard, Krauss and his remained on the force but never returned to active duty, Julie rebuilt her life and started a family, and Larry became a choir singer, he never returned to professional music, in the present day he still lives in Detroit. Also starring John Krasinski as Attorney Auerbach and Jack Reynor as Demens. Boyega is good as the straight forward security guard, Smith is likable as the ambitious soul singer, but it is Poulter who stands out as the aggressive racist white cop, it is unconventional in its approach to the real-life events, the city is in turmoil, which we see some of, but the horrific events in the hotel overwhelms the majority, the film is claustrophobic and disturbing with the treatment of African-American people in the time it is set, it certainly delivers the "Black Lives Matter" message, all together it is gripping and provocative period crime drama. Very good!