Giving N.W.A. the Respect They Deserve

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2016)

Straight Outta Compton (2015)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) and Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, Jr.) are the main focus of this film that takes a look at the rise and fall of N.W.A. and the various other people that their style of music influenced.
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON has been attacked by some for white-washing certain elements but I don't think that's too fair. I mean, any film that deals with a "real" story is going to be altered for one reason or another so I don't bash any movie that changes things around. With that said, I thought the movie did a very good job at telling the story of this group and the impact they had on the culture at the time but it also serves as an education to the people who think current music is new or original.
Director F. Gary Gray does a terrific job at keeping the entertainment level extremely high throughout the picture and even with its long running time the movie never feels too long and in fact there are many elements that could have been extended on. I think the greatest thing the film accomplishes is that it gives people are clear idea of what the culture was at the time and how this group really knocked down all sorts of doors. I was a music fan when these albums were originally released and it was something fresh and original.
The screenplay manages to hit not only on the music side of the group but I thought it paid great attention to the three main characters as well as the manager played by Paul Giamatti. I thought the character development was excellent and not something you usually see in these types of movies. Another major plus were the performances with the entire cast doing an excellent job in their roles. The real stand out Mitchell who is simply wonderful as Eazy-E and really brings a lot of depth to the role. Giamatti also deserves a lot of credit for a very powerful performance.
As you'd expect, the music is wonderful and there's no doubt that it's a terrific looking movie. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is certainly one of the year's better movie. What was so surprising is the fact that it really does have a heart to it and this is especially scene towards the end when Eazy-E begins to get sick.