From the intense first few minutes to the smile Dr. Dre puts on the audiences’ faces in the final moments, Straight Outta Compton is a solid film. N.W.A was a groundbreaking, controversial, and innovative hip-hop group from Compton, California… and that’s the history lesson for this review; I am here to talk about the biopic of one of the greatest music groups of all-time.
I grew up listening to the likes of Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, G-Unit, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Bone Crusher, David Banner, Lil’ Flip, and many more. I love hip-hop music; I may not be a historian of the craft, but I love it all the same. It’s one of the main reasons I ever dabbled in the likes of poetry and writing all together. That might’ve not been a conscious fact when I was younger, but now I’ve come to realize hip-hop music has been a major influence on my creative life. So, when I heard there was going to be an N.W.A. biopic, you could say I was more than excited. While the album Straight Outta Compton isn’t one of my favorites, I have much respect for what those guys did for the art of hip-hop.
Straight Outta Compton is a biopic. Usually the first thing I don’t like about biopics is the protagonist never seems to have a goal. Biopics are like slices of life that go through the major turning points of a story, and in the end, the film looks back on how the career or actions of the protagonist have affected the world. Straight Outta Compton isn’t any different. Now, there’s nothing wrong with biopics. Chaplin is one of my favorite movies of all-time; I happen to love biopics, but sometimes a goal other than “must become famous” or “must be successful” or “must live” needs to be implemented into this genre. So with that said, other than some of the performances, the plot of the film is where I have a problem.
The plot, to me, is this: Five talented artists from the streets of Compton, California ban together and become one of the greatest hip-hop groups, but money and fame aren’t their only threats. This is fine for a biopic because, like I said before, biopics are slices of life and seem to be the only genre that can get away with the protagonist not having a goal. But without a clear goal, the storyline of a film starts to turn into a mess of “this happened, then this happened, and… oh yeah, this happened,” and it starts to get boring after the first hour and a half of a film like Straight Outta Compton. But if you’re a fan of the artist/subject or grew up during the time period of a biopic, then you over look this fact like I did.
Sometimes I just like to enjoy a story that tells me how someone became the influential person they are. This is why I enjoyed watching the story of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E. Now I don’t say DJ Yella or MC Ren because they are sadly only supporting factors rather than a man focus, but I will get to that when I talk about the performances. Like I said before, biopics are different when you grew up in same time period of the film. While I was only a baby during the time period of the film’s second half, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube have still been huge components of the entertainment I’ve consumed in my life. So, as a fan, it was awesome to see their origin stories, and the film gets an A in my book for delivering them in high fashion.
Whenever a new person becomes famous or a celebrity retires or, god forbid passes away, a question is always asked, “When they make a movie about this man/woman, who will portray them?” Straight Outta Compton is wonderfully casted. Every actor, whether they gave a great performance or a mediocre one, had mastered the mannerisms and voices of the person they were portraying. It is truly wonderful to see, and I applaud every single actor in the film, even the guy that played Snoop Dog, who had a small but forgettable part.
The one performance I really want to talk about is Jason Mitchell’s portrayal of Eazy-E. He delivered a performance that will most likely earn him an Oscar nod. If that doesn’t happen, then a Golden Globe nod. His portrayal stands out from all the other characters and really steals the show. From the strong, tense “gangster” side of Eazy-E to the softhearted hotel room scene that Eric Wright has with his love, Mitchell gets it done here. There is no doubt that he is a future juggernaut in the film industry, and I hope to see him get cast in other types of roles from here on out.
As for everyone else, I already applauded every single actor for mastering the mannerisms and voices of their character, but corny dialogue and terrible line delivery had me laughing out loud in the theatre at times. Some of this was due to the script itself, but other times were due to the actors missing their mark. That’s the problem with having a biopic that is scene after scene of, “This happened, then this happened, and then this happened, and then…” so on and so forth. There isn’t enough time spent on developing characters, so when a piece of corny dialogue plagues the scene, it takes the audience even more out of the element than they already were. Sure, the scene with Ice Cube, Eazy-E, and Jerry Heller where Cube demands the details on his contract while Eazy and Jerry eat lobster is a great scene. The scene where Dr. Dre learns about his brother’s death is a great scene. When N.W.A. defies the law and performs F*** the Police to full effect is my favorite scene in the movie. But when the movie is about “What Happened” rather than “Who they were,” these scenes get lost in the mix and fall flat, corrupting and ruining the characters we are watching.
The cinematography and the entirety of the mise-en-scene are great for the genre and time period, but there isn’t a true reason to critic them because they serve their purpose. They serve the performances, tone, and overall immersion in perfect dramatic effect, so I applaud F. Gary Gray for keeping that in check and letting it support the true heart of the film rather than making it an auteur-style priority. Thank you, sir.
The last thing I want to talk about is the films excellent portrayal and relation to the current racial and injustice problems in the country. The film does this so well that you realize nothing has truly changed. The police brutality scenes are filled with tension and are sometimes too well done to take your eyes off the screen. “Can’t take your eyes away from police brutality? You’re sick!” No, that’s a good thing. If a normal, everyday guy like me who has dealt with problems in the world is mesmerized by the injustice portrayed at moments in Straight Outta Compton, this is good for our society because it is sending a message. It’s exploiting what was wrong with departments of our country back then and what is still wrong to this day. It screams out for the tool to fix it, and that tool is the audience who comes to see this movie. We are the only ones who can change the world, so I hope this movie speaks to you on the same level that it spoke to me.
Overall, I give Straight Outta Compton an 8 out of 10. Fantastic. Not the best biopic ever made, but most definitely not the worst. My love for hip-hop, entertainment history, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Aftermath records are what kept me interested and devoted to the film’s “Slice of Live” story and the characters that came along with it. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who isn’t a fan of hip-hop or movies in general. They may not appreciate it as much as I did, but I guarantee it will send an important message to them like it did to me.
Thank you,
-Matt Brunhofer
