A Surprisingly Great Biopic

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2015)

OVERVIEW This film sort of came out of nowhere for me. I never heard anything in regards to it's release and all of a sudden it comes out of the woodwork. Which is strange after watching a few interviews with Ice Cube addressing that the film took a long time to get into production. When I was younger rap was a contributor to my musical influence, specifically that of the NWA's debut album Straight Outta Compton. Very raw, unrestricted subject matters and lyrics gave it that global appeal, the right to free speech and expressing yourself (no pun intended in relation to one of the songs on the album).
The story follows the story of all members of NWA (MC Ren, DJ Yella). But more specifically Ice Cube, Eazy-E, and Dr Dre. Following each individual story interwoven with each other gave the movie a fresh and interesting perspective, and I'm glad the movie didn't just focus on one person's agenda and opinions of the group through it's rise and fall. This is not a typical BS Hollywood rise to fame film, it really is a gritty, interesting story with a no holds barred approach to the oppression of the black community of Compton. Half of the things mentioned in the film I had no idea about before hand, and it does make for a nice setup to what made Ice Cube and Dr Dre who they are and how big they became.
PERFORMANCES The cast was solid, top to bottom, Cory Hawkins as Dr Dre, Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr. as MC Ren and DJ Yella, as well as R. Marcos Taylor as the infamous Suge Knight who deserves a mention. However, in my opinion there were three standouts that completely towered above the rest. Paul Giamatti as the once great band manager of NWA Jerry Heller was just amazingly good. The range of playing a shallow business man yet sympathetic towards the racial cause as the framework of the music, taking more of his share of the earnings but being one of the catalysts for the groups success, it really was a great performance. Two scenes in particular was when Heller confronts the police in regards to the police's harassment of the group on the street and the argument with Easy-E when he finds that Heller has not been all of the way honest with him.
Leading me onto the next pick that is Jason Mitchell's portrayal of Easy-E. The mannerisms of his voice, movement and the emotional depth shown from aggressive, to funny, to the emotional conflicts of struggling with a serious health condition was absolutely great. You watch old footage of Easy-E from the early 90s and really understand why he was picked and how much he brought to the character.
Lastly, my personal favourite of the movie, O'Shea Jackson Jr. as his father Ice Cube. I understand that people would think 'well it's his son, how could he not be picked for the part?'. Watching interviews knowing that he was studying and auditioning for the part for over two years before he got it, taking vigorous acting classes and being more than just a familiar look alike really does show. His acting was solid, and that's a very difficult person to try and portray, the stern exterior of Ice Cube, solid vocal performances and giving the character much more depth than you would expect. It really was the highlight performance in my opinion, Jason Mitchell a close second.
NOTEWORTHY MOMENTS The edgy opening scene of a drug raid as Easy-E scrambles to get away, the confrontations between Dr. Dre and Suge Knight, and the consistent harassment from the police this group of people faced at all times were all great parts of the film. However there is always two scenes that stick in my mind.
Firstly the live performance of 'F*** the Police' in Detroit on their 1989 tour started a riot after the police warned them what might happen if they played it. As the song goes on gun fire is heard, and the concert turns into a riot with the group trying to run away, only to be wrestled to the ground and forced into the back of police vans. All the while fans on top of the over pass are shouting 'F*** the police'. It is a great cinematic moment, which didn't quite play out the way it did in the film, but it's a great scene to watch, and it's symbolic of the whole movie's premise.
The second was the hospital scene of Eazy-E, the whole sequence really, as he is diagnosed with HIV. Going through his internal struggle with the diagnosis and how all members of the group deal with the situation. It really is a heartbreaking part of the movie and they really did a great justice to his death.
FINAL VERDICT All in all 'Straight Outta Compton' is a great biopic that delivers on both the generational premise of the black oppression and the horrific Rodney King beatings where the group emerged to stand up and use there lawful right to question these authority figures in the only way they knew how. It's depiction of the police force is very negative, and it is totally understandable. There were some elements of conflicts between group members that were not in the movie, however to keep the film that faithful to the true life story from all who were a part of it is pretty impressive.
I would totally recommend this film as it's an extremely interesting story that you probably didn't know much about, and to me it's one of the most diverse (opinion- wise) biopics I have seen.