Detroit (2017)

Rating: 6/10 (1 December 2017)

I still haven't seen Near Dark, but have been really wanting to do so. I will say this though, Bigelow's Strange Days is amazing. In recent years Bigelow has shifted focus to more politically-war themed films. With Detroit, Bigelow brings attention to the Algiers Motel Incident which occurred during a race riot in Detroit. Her past two Academy Award nominated efforts made it seem like Detroit would be a contender this year. Overall, I am quite disappointed with this film and I'll tell you why.
As mentioned earlier Detroit depicts the real life event at the Algiers Motel, where black men and two white women were rounded up and humiliated by cops because of gun shots fired towards police during a very heated riot. The film enlists the help of John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie, and an impressive Will Poulter. I did really enjoy seeing Hannah Murray in a film as well, she's a cutie. I thought Poulter was a perfect casting in this role. He impressed me, and now that I think about it his Pennywise from It may have been an interesting but successful casting if it panned out.
The film mainly suffers from being too long. The incident itself, while interesting does not need to be padded. The events of the night are portrayed for far to long, and the aftermath itself loses steam fast. The performances are good but there's a real sense of just showing the story without portraying it in an impassioned way. Obviously the events of the film still resonate today and should have really rallied a reaction but the film just falls flat.
I do like Bigelow as a filmmaker but she takes a misstep by recreating the events for this film. I don't expect this film to make any real splash awards season because its actually far from good. Poulter or maybe even Boyega may have an outside chance of a nomination but I don't see this film staying in memory for very long. Disappointed, but I know Bigelow will bounce back.
6/10