Review of Detroit (2017) by Teddywyman — 13 Aug 2017

I would be perplexed by the barrage of negative ratings, but I noticed only one of them was accompanied by a review. I think this is quite telling, and as other people have pointed out I think it is due to people's inability to come to grips with our nation's past.

From my understanding, writer Mark Boal (who worked as a journalist after receiving a philosophy degree from Oberlin College) crafted a well-researched and historically accurate screenplay. Reading articles about the events as they actually happened is like reading the plot summary for the film, something that should be deeply appreciated.

I chalk many of the negative reviews up to spiteful people who haven't seen the movie, or took offense to the uncovering of this ugly chapter in our nation's history that shows what white supremacy looks like front and center.

As for the movie a as a movie itself, I admit it barely gets a 10 rating, but after a few days of digesting it I do think it earns legitimately earns it. It has its flaws, but they are minor and do not affect the takeaway of the film.

The film is broken up into three parts: the riots, the Algiers Motel incident, and the aftermath. It starts off a bit slow, and some of the scenes involving the riots seem jolted and thrown together without rhyme or reason.

However, their true purpose is to give context to the motel incident. The scene in the motel (which is hardly a scene as it lasts for over an hour) is nothing short of spectacular. It is extremely tense due to the blend of predictability and unpredictability - we understand the *societal* context of what we are seeing, but we don't know how the *individuals* will act in this situation.

The acting is phenomenal, and it is so realistic - again, props to Mark Boal for doing his homework. The aftermath adds minutes to the movie that some may find dragging, but I think they are essential to highlight how the problem is not just a few bad eggs.

It shows how the riots that occur at the beginning of the film were not just a random occurrence, but rather a result of hundreds of years of slavery, mistreatment, housing discrimination, racism, and systemic oppression.

We see a justice system that fails to do what it is intended to do, and we see that it actively furthers injustice. Others have noted that none of the characters are particularly likable, something I disagree with.

There are multiple characters who are wholly good people, who are morally sound, resolute, and even charismatic. It is clear who Bigelow is rooting for, and so to you reader I say that who you are rooting for will highlight a fundamental aspect of your personality.

Because, ultimately, there are things that the 7 black men and 2 white women could have done to possibly prevent being held hostage in the motel, eventually leading to the deaths of 3 innocent black men.

But there is nothing that the millions of Africans could have done regarding being brought over here by slaves. From then on, there have been things that could be done by blacks to better their situation - but there are far, far more things that the oppressive whites could have done.

It is extremely difficult to fight back after hundreds of years of slavery, followed by deprivation of rights, having a justice system that works to imprison you, having a society that rejects you, etc.

It is extremely easy to just not oppress people. It is so easy to just treat people in an equitable fashion. So while those 9 people could have acted differently, they shouldn't have had to. The police should have, and could have, and didn't.

It would have been very easy for the Detroit police to not kill 3 people that night. I can only hope you, too, see that.