Straight Outta Compton (Spoiler Free)

Rating: 7/10 (23 September 2015)

Straight Outta Compton is directed by F. Gary Gray and stars O'Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins, and Jason Mitchell. During a tense time in racial equality, a group of boys from Compton in Los Angles, California, starts a music group called NWA. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E lead this group to the forefront of the music industry. They rap about their hard lives on the streets and the unfair treatment they receive. Their music causes controversy everywhere and they revolutionize the Hip Hop genre.
Although the actors in this movie were relatively unknown, they managed to pull the audience into the film and play their parts very believably. The characters, however, were hard to connect to individuals, because there was a large cast. But the three characters that stood out were Dr. Dre (Hawkins), Ice Cube (Jackson), and Eazy-E (Mitchell).
Corey Hawkins played Dr. Dre, who acted as middle ground between the two extremes of this movie: Ice Cube and Eazy-E. His acting was very convincing and there was never a moment when the audience didn't believe the character was real. This character also had the most dramatic arc in the film. The audience can clearly see him develop from a homeless street kid into a very successful music artist. Everyone loves an underdog and this adds to the audiences' appreciation of Dr. Dre (Hawkins).
Ice Cube was one of the extremes in this movie. He was played by O'Shea Jackson Jr.: the actual son of Ice Cube. Being related to his character really helped his performance: Not only did he look the part, but his mannerisms and expressions deepened the character for the audience. However this was a very confusing and ill- paced character. The script never seemed to decide what type of person Ice Cube (Jackson) was, and it kept changing personalities until it was hard to understand or relate to. One scene he would be calm and reserved, but the very next scene he would be raging and violent.
The other extreme character in Straight Outta Compton was Eazy-E played by Jason Mitchell. Mitchell's acting throughout the film was by far the best and most heartfelt. His character had a very clear motivation and drive: his desire for money. This was a breath of fresh air from the confusing characters in the film like Ice Cube. Once the group takes off, Eazy-E (Mitchell) gets lost in a world of contracts and lawsuits, but his pursuit of money always remains strong. However, this money seeking side of Eazy-E (Mitchell) causes him to come across as greedy and unlikable to the audience. The script tried to address this in the character's arc, but the finishing of the arc felt rushed. Because of the rushed ending, the audience never really got a chance to connect with the character.
The tone of Straight Outta Compton can be summarized in one word: Intense. Any scene with police officers in it was extremely high-strung and had the audience breathless. The tension in those scenes poured out of the screen and wrapped the audience up and didn't release them until the end of the scene. The best parts of this film were the intense scenes that took the audience's breath away.
The film had one major error: It's run-time. This film would have been more enjoyable and left the audience on a better note, if it had cut its 2 hour and 27 minute run-time to an hour and a half. In the first hour, the film focused on the creation and popularity of NWA and how the public responded, but after that it became joyless drama that wasn't engaging for the audience. The last twenty minutes of Straight Outta Compton was very enjoyable and it tried to wrap up the story. Unfortunately, the ending felt rushed and didn't cover some plot points from the beginning of the film. If the film had avoided the boring drama that took place in the middle of the film, it would have been more interesting.
The surprisingly good acting and the intense tone made this film a highlight, but the way the film dragged on and made it hard to connect with each character dragged down the film. Straight Outta Compton gets a 7.0/10 stars