Review of Fruitvale Station (2013) by Kevin E — 21 Jan 2014

Phenomenal film. Everything about it is great. The acting is Oscar-Worthy especially Michael B. Jordan's performance. He wasn't playing Oscar Grant, he was Oscar Grant. The supporting cast is the same way, nothing felt like it was out of place, it feels more like a documentary, than a film and everything comes together in such a cohesive way, that you forget you're watching a fictional retelling of the tragedy that happened on that fateful January 1st 2008 day.

Especially noteworthy is that this is a directorial debut for Ryan Coogler, and you can't tell when watching the movie. The cinematography is excellent and the script is too, since he is from the Bay Area, he didn't have a hard time adopting the dialogue to fit how people talk in the Bay Area, but he was able to direct the actors to use those same mannerisms that you felt like these people are really from Oakland.

Everything is authentic and genuine. They talked with the real people and victims and nailed down all the aspects of these real-life people. Especially Oscar Grant. They didn't portray him as an angel or a straight criminal, he was just a human that dealt with some issues that most people have, the intention to do good, and the temptation of doing bad.

I can't recommend this film enough. Go see it now.