A visually and musically interesting story of one of the most influential bands in hip hop history.

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2015)

"Straight Outta Compton" has Something to Say
NWA is credited with creating gangster rap, also know as reality rap for singing about the reality of the lives they lived. NWA lead to not only million selling albums for the band and their three main members, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy E, but to Tupac, Snoop Dogg and more.
NWA was more than recording artists, they spoke for millions all over the nation who were oppressed by the police, including the "Black police showing out for the white cop."
The racist L.A. Police has had a history of abusing the rights of African Americans, especially in the 80s. That is one of the catalysts for gangster rap along with the war on drugs and crushing Reaganomics. Were the NWA performers the most talented in the L.A. scene? Certainly Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were. Eazy E comes off as a bit of a dupe and lessor talent. However, Jason Mitchell plays the rapper well.
The son of Ice Cube, O'Shea Jackson Jr., is excellent and he looks just like dad. Paul Giamatti plays a thieving white prick with aplomb. The rest of the cast also does well.
The scenes of the band performing on stage and in the studio are real standouts. The cinematography is excellent as is the sound mixing. The plot holds together, but like a turducken, they cram too much in.
There is no way they could have put every event in the lives of NWA in the film. Even so, some of the scenes are too long for their minimal content. Scenes are held too long after the point is made and story elements are evident. There are a few moments of self reflection in the film that weren't needed, and frankly, some of the exposition was redundant.
Otherwise, "Straight Outta Compton" is an entertaining and educational film.
Rating: Full Price
Some of the sexism of NWA, and in Dr. Dre and Ice Cube's lyrics, comes out in the film; that is unfortunate. However, that is who they seem to be, and to be otherwise, would be false.
The film does cover some familiar biopic band territory of member's squabbling, producers ripping them off and so forth. It is most handled in an interesting way except from the drawn out scene with their manager, Jerry.
In all, it's a well produced film with great musical performances and a good hip-hop soundtrack from the days when hip-hip was still political and relevant and more than just a commercial success.
Peace, Tex Shelters