A horrifying story that is approached with distance

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2017)

It has been clear long before I was born that something is wrong with the country and the souls of those in authority are corrupt. Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit exposes another terrible chapter in dramatic fashion that feels a bit off in its depiction of horrific violence. The story gives a brief background of the tension through a cartoon that feels far too simplistic for a nuanced view of a centuries old struggle and growing corruption in law and order. There is a short scene that plays no real significance in the rest of the film except to introduce the supposed cause of the riots but then it jumps to the major characters of this sickening story.
The character that is most interesting and takes the role of protagonist in this harrowing tale is Larry (Algee Smith), a singer whose attempt at fame and a chance at the stage for his Motown group is cut short due to the riots. He and his friend Fred (Jacob Latimore) flee the angry police and raging fires to hide out the night in the Algiers hotel. Dismukes (John Boyega) works private security for a grocery store trying to help black men escape the brutality of the patrolling officers and national guard. Krauss (Will Poulter) is a racist police officer whose trigger happy nature with a shotgun earns him a homicide investigation before the events at the Algiers hotel. Larry and Fred flirt with two white women Julie (Hannah Murray) and Karen (Kaitlyn Dever) who bring them to meet some friends.
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