A vivid, brutal retelling of true events that are still relevant 50 years later.

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2017)

Art is not always easy to swallow. However, some art is essential. This is a story that needed to be told.
Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow has knocked it out of the park once again with Detroit. Once again, Bigelow takes on delicate subject matter with the expertise of a great filmmaker. The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty are good films in their own right, but this is far more affecting and heart-wrenching than either of those films.
Detroit is filmed wholly hand-held, and the shakiness that comes along with that direction choice is extremely effective. Before the riots even start in the film, you will be set on edge by the shakiness of the camera and jarring cuts. This alone creates tension that is only ratcheted up little by little as the film progresses. There are many scenes, that because of the tension created with the camera-work, along with the terrifying nature of the situation, feel like something out of a horror film.
Every actor here gives a near flawless performance. While John Boyega is being marketed as the star of the film (which, duh, he was in Star Wars), this is actually a film without a standard Hollywood- style star. These actors—even the bigger names—are treated as equally important details in a larger event. In fact, despite the presence of Boyega, Anthony Mackie, and Jason Mitchell, I was blown away most by the lesser-known Algee Smith. The performances here are emotional, powerful, but most of all, real. None of these actors feel like they are acting for an Academy Award, instead each actor embodies the real life people that lived through these events.
The shocking nature of this film is all thanks to the film's subject matter. But I'm not here to critique subject matter. Detroit, from a purely narrative standpoint, is brilliantly written—jumping from characters and timelines until all roads meet at the film's crescendo. Instead of the route Dunkirk chose—throwing you right into the fire with characters you don't know—Detroit instead gives each character scenes that let you get to know them as people, allowing you to genuinely care about them.
While this is a great film, it is a hard watch. This is an emotionally grueling film in the same way 12 Years a Slave and Fruitvale Station are. With that being said, the two and a half hour run time of this film is exhausting. There is not much that could be cut out of this film, but the length is something that can really work against this film.
Detroit is a poignant film, not only due to the masterful direction and performances, but because of it's relevance in the world we live in today. This is an unflinching, timely achievement—and may be Kathryn Bigelow's magnum opus.