Straight Up...One of the Year's Best

Rating: 9/10 (7 September 2015)

(Rating: ☆☆☆½ out of 4)
This film is highly recommended.
In brief: The film doesn't play straight with the facts but it is superior filmmaking.
GRADE: B+
Now I should say straight out that rap music is not my particular inclination when I want to hear some songs. (Honestly, I'm more a Broadway show tunes and R & B type of listener.) With that in mind, I went to see this movie with some trepidation and found it to be involving and yet riveting in a detached way.
And boy, did I feel old watching Straight Out of Compton. Resembling a wannabe Barbara Billingsley jive lady, I felt out of sync with the rhythm and rhyme, a genuine generational relic ready for the scrapheap of life. Let me state upfront that the film does have its flaws: All of the characters and their attitudes in this film were an unpleasant lot, off-putting and repellent people with very little remorse for their actions or possessing any redeeming values other than their passion for their art. The film also takes its subtle glorification of these real life boyz-from-the-hood and their pro-drug life-styles to some exaggerated heights without showing the ramifications of their actions, which I found slightly disturbing. But the film's many assets outweigh some minor missteps along the way.
Straight Out of Compton takes place in 1986 and shows the origins of the hip hop music industry. It's the beginnings of gangsta rap, with lyrics laced with profanity and urging violence acts against the establishment, specifically any symbol of authority be it the police or any embodiment of law enforcement. A group of street-wise musicians broke new ground with their unique brand of music that is all too commonplace today. The group was called N.W.A., formed by three friends: Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, Jr, Ice Cube's real son), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell). and this biopic depicts their rise to fame amid adverse conditions, many caused by their own making.
While the film paints an incomplete picture of true events and its facts are somewhat skewed, it remains a powerful look into a time when revolution and unrest became part of the mainstream. The film never truly delve into the darker side of these performers and their complicated lives, skimming across some of their more violent acts and anti-social behaviors. The historical accuracy is a bit lax with misogyny and homophobia present in the storytelling but downplayed in this film, especially in the case of Dr. Dre's record of abuse toward women. (Perhaps the reason may lie with two of the film's producers, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre themselves who could only go so far as to depict the real story behind the music which diminishes the film's real impact. The truth obviously could not set them free. It also plays fast and loose with the pivotal roles of MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown, Jr.) and their contribution's to N.W.A.'s mega-hit status. (A sixth member of the group, Arabian Prince, is not even mentioned.)
That said, the movie is expertly directed by F. Gary Gray. The direction keeps the action moving at a brisk and showy pace. He encompasses his narrative with a vital raw energy and much cinematic style, successfully incorporating the music within its plot. Many of the incidents shown on the screen are fascinating to watch without emotionally connecting to this moviegoer.
The screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff is literate and riveting while loosely based on the facts. They create believable characters and capture in their dialog the street jargon with much authenticity and bravado. As the group begins to splinter, so does the film in its third act. Still it is strong dramatic fodder as it takes these real life characters and makes their roles bigger-than-life, giving the performers plenty of opportunities to showcase their musical talents and acting abilities. The casting is very strong throughout the film. Particularly outstanding are the three leads who all give break-out performances, especially Jason Mitchell as the trusting member of the group. R. Marcos Taylor plays Suge Knight as pure evil and Paul Giamatti plays their ambitious and shady manager, Jerry Heller, and makes his interpretation of a predictable role even more intriguing.
Did the film make me appreciate the world of gangsta rap more? No. But I was enraptured by the cast and its talented director. Straight Out of Compton is a well-crafted film and worthwhile viewing, especially for seriously-minded film-goers and fans of this musical genre. It deserves many of the accolades it is presently earning. Straight up, this film is one of the year's best.