Real and Brutal

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2017)

Detroit (2017) is directed by Kathryn Bigelow, director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, and revolves around the Detroit riots in 1967. Tensions between white and blacks has reached an all-time high, and the film follows a hectic and violent incident between white police officers and black men at the Algires Motel one night during the riots.
Detroit is a bleak, depressing and brutal depiction of a group of racist police officers and how flawed the American judicial system was in the 60's. Kathryn Bigelow paints a nightmarish picture that grips you from beginning to end, it's intensity basically radiating from the screen.
All actors give 110% to their role, and praise has to be given to the main racist cop, played by Will Poulter. He plays the part excellently, and one can only imagine how difficult it was for him to act this way in front of the camera. Next to the cops, the black victims were also played flawlessly by a various cast.
The film begins at a brisk pace, thrusting you right into the brutality of the impending riots. However, the majority of the film is set in the Algiers Motel, telling the violent incident in graphic detail. The film never had me bored; however, the run time is definitely its main flaw.
The film drags on for far too long. There are many moments where I thought it was going to end, but it continued to run. Not saying the subsequent scenes were bad, but the film had me checking my watch a few times towards the beginning of the third act.
Despite its overdrawn length, Detroit still provides a very down-to-earth and intense experience, definitely worth seeing.