A clinical autopsy of a riot 50 years later

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2017)

'Detroit' won't be a money maker, judging by the poor receipts after opening in America. Worldwide it may do better. Katherine Bigelow is a creative film maker and 'Detroit', her cinematic homage bears this out. Teamed up again with writer Mark Boal (Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), she, at 67, shown she is the leading woman director of her time. Working against a handicap: the estate of John Hersey who wrote the best seller 'Algiers Motel Incident' who wrote strongly of the incident in July 25-26 1967 that occurred during the rioting that rocked Detroit and many say hastened the decline of city during the sinking fortunes then of America's car makers, during the declining fortunes of an America engaged in a failing undeclared colonial war in Vietnam. Bigelow and Boal and their team of researcher performed a yeoman's task of researching, rummaging archives, finding old photos and newsreel footage, and more than that finding the people--police and victims--of the incident at the Algiers Motel. And from that intense labor of 'love', they made a powerful film of police brutality and the craven behavior of the Michigan and National Guard sent in to quell the riot. Not only that, they assembled an ensemble of black and white actors that breathe life and tension and energy and artistic passion into top shelf acting that they might not of had, especially the black actors. John Boyega gave a nuanced, sturdy performance of a security guard who looks to save black lives until the safety of dawn; Anthony Mackie is no stranger to Bigelow films, and Algee Smith whose career and life the riots sent into a direction he least expected and ended his dreams of a singing career on the Motown label. The undisguised racism of the police force is not varnished in the least, The young British actor Will Poulter gives an over the top performance of a racist cop with a taste for brutality and murder. And 'Detroit' cannot have come at a better time in today's America where the president encourages police violence against dark skinned Americans and sojourners; where the incidence of police killing blacks with impunity have engendered the 'Black Lives Matter', to protest the endemic, seemingly pathological torrent among the police who can shoot, kill and main blacks and other minorities and whites who challenge authority. 'Detroit' resonates to that condition which is being pandered to by a Republican administration, an administration that seeming reimposed old rules and behavior that draws sharply between citizen and second class citizens, which the country had thought had been put behind it. But how fragile it the illusion, especially the ill will and outright hatred of Obama, the first black president. And the Republicans openly playing the racist card as America slouched to a more open society demographically and racially. And yet the violence and brutality Bigelow's camera captures, left this review ice cold. It was as though I was witnessing coldly and clinically a medical examiner's autopsy of a corpse. And yet, I would recommend this film highly. Many won't see it--too violent they might say. But they must, turning one's eyes away won't make the systemic police and racial ugliness disappear. Of course at Oscar time, 'Detroit' will receive nominations but hardly garner a statuette. Too bad.