A Solid (but Over-Long) Music Biopic on the Origins of N.W.A.

Rating: 8/10 (15 October 2016)

N.W.A. hit it big with "Straight Outta Compton" in 1988. I was only about four-years- old at the time and, by the time rap music fell on my radar, I was in high school and, with a few exceptions in that era, I wrote the genre off as something I wasn't interested in. I was a classic rock kid. Sue me. Anyway, modern rap hasn't done anything to change that but I have gone back to check out some of the earlier stuff I'd missed thanks to STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON and realized I might've been a little hasty in dismissing an entire genre of music. That's how I know this movie is good; it was able to ignite a respect for something I previously couldn't be bothered to care about. It was the same with Ron Howard's RUSH in 2013. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, from director F. Gary Gray, details the meteoric rise and eventual divide of West Coast rap phenomenon N.W.A. Aspiring artists Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.) band together with their friend Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), who's developed business acumen from his time as a dope dealer in Compton, to bring a message to the people that they're tired of the oppression and abuse of power from local law enforcement on the black communities. We see the power behind their music inspire a generation of people to rise against their oppressors, while at the same time shady dealings between Eazy-E and their manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamiatti) lead to fractures between them.
N.W.A. was a five man team but STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON seems to focus on the three key players: Dre, Cube, and Eazy-E. If you're a fan of MC Ren or DJ Yella, I'm sorry to tell you but they're essentially background players in the scheme of the movie. At least Ren steps up as N.W.A.'s main writer once Cube goes solo, but Yella doesn't get a whole lot to do. As long as that doesn't cause you too much grief, you're in for some amazing performances from Hawkins, Jackson, and Mitchell. Hawkins gets some meaty material for Dre as a man dedicated to his craft and determined to be successful, and Jackson (real life son to Ice Cube) is spot on as an angry artist and the only member of N.W.A. with the gumption to call out Eazy-E and Heller for ripping them off. But, in the end, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is Mitchell's movie. Eazy-E is the most compelling character in the roster and Mitchell is given the most engaging character arc in the film. Eazy-E goes from street-smart dope dealer to millionaire, stepping on the backs of friends to get there, and comes to realize what he's sacrificed for success. Mitchell is a scene-stealer and, despite the way he cheats his friends, he's one of the most sympathetic characters in the movie. The character is complex and, as someone I'd never seen act before, Mitchell nails it. Even Giamatti pales in comparison as the group's self-serving manager, a man I can't pin down as genuinely evil or just playing the crooked music industry games.
The story behind the rise of N.W.A. is a pretty awesome one. Seeing as how most of the members are still alive and probably had a certain light they insisted on being painted in, you'll know you aren't getting the full story but, at two and a half hours long, you're still getting plenty. The movie covers what are, I figure, the more important points. We get key moments in the studio, including a reluctant Eazy-E's recording of "Boyz-n-the-Hood" line by line and the birth of "F**k the Police" after the guys are harassed by some cops outside the recording studio. We see the rise of hard core rap and the effect it had on the populace, surely contributing to the outrage of police harassment and abuse. The movie focuses primarily on the Rodney King event and the following riots in Los Angeles where the guys saw their dire warnings come true as the oppressed fought back. The movie also manages to stuff in scenes with appearances from Snoop Dogg and Tupac so fans will have something to nudge their friends and point at the screen about. One of the better story elements in the movie comes in the form of Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor) when he poaches Dre over to Death Row Records; Taylor has an intimidating presence and can pull off crazy eyes that'll stop anyone in their tracks. The last half hour or so starts to drag when the movie starts going down Eazy-E's redemption path and introduces his AIDS but that first two hours is pretty solid. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is a movie I never thought I'd love but there you have it. It's even got me listening to some of the early west coast rap to have come out of the era. And if that's probably the best compliment I could give the movie.