Review of Straight Outta Compton (2015) by Patrick L — 29 Sep 2015

"F. Gary Gray's powerful tribute to a legendary rap group is one of the best movies of the summer".

Movie Review: Straight Outta Compton.

Date Viewed: August 14 2015.

Directed By F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set It Off,.

The Italian Job, The Negotiator and Law Abiding Citizen).

Screenplay By Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff, Story By S. Leigh Savidge, Andrea Berloff and Alan Wenkus.

Starring: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins,.

Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown, Jr.,.

Paul Giamatti, Marlon Yates Jr., Corey Reynolds, Nate Ellington, Alexandra Shipp,.

Angela Elayne Gibbs, Bruce Beatty, Lisa Renee Pitts, Tyron Woodley, Cleavon Howard, Carra Patterson, Sheldon A. Smith,.

Keith Stanfield and R. Marcus Taylor.

I don't know much about rap music but I do know a lot about music biopics. We explore the artist's backstory, we see his/or her journey to become famous singer, we get usually a tragedy or a setback to trigger any emotion in the story and as expected, the singer does bounce back from the darkness in the end. "Straight Outta Compton" is completely different from other music biopics in the past. It does follow the same biopic tropes but it avoids the same sentimental ending we've seen in so many music biopics in recent years. "Straight Outta Compton" is about the rise and fall of the most dangerous rap group in music history. N.W.A. was founded in Compton, California in the mid-1980s by Eazy-E and his Ruthless Records company. The group was formed by Eazy-E, MC Ren, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube (who along with Dre and Eazy-E's widow produced the film).

Playing the five N.W.A. members are mostly unknown actors, the most famous of the group is Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Jr. who plays his own father. Sure, there is strong sexuality and rough language in "Straight Outta Compton" but director F. Gary Gray (who made music videos for Ice Cube and directed him in the 1995 urban comedy "Friday") has made a powerful tribute to the legendary rap group. Riveting and well-acted, "Straight Outta Compton" is one of the best movies of the summer.

The movie begins in 1986 where Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, Jr.), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown, Jr.) start to form their own rap group called the N.W.A.. After the success of Eazy-E's single "Boyz-n-the-Hood", music manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) sees potential in the group and decides to have them picked up by Priority Records. Eazy-E becomes the group's manager and he is the only one in the N.W.A. to receive a contract from Heller and the label.

After their album "Straight Outta Compton" becomes a smash hit, the N.W.A. encounter huge protests and the media. Reporters ask the rap group if the album is inspiring hate against the police but the N.W.A. says it's just free speech. The group are rebelling against abusive authority by the officers who either harass or taunt them with threats and handcuffs. Years later, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube have left the group to focus on their solo careers. Dr. Dre formed Death Row Records with Suge Knight (R. Marcus Taylor) and Ice Cube had a very well received first solo album which gained more popularity than "Straight Outta Compton". Ice Cube also jumped into movie business by starring in John Singleton's "Boyz N the Hood" and of course, F. Gary Gray's 1995 comedy "Friday" which he also wrote. With Dre and Cube gone, Eazy-E becomes suspicious of Heller and his business practices as money starts disappearing from their label.

This seems like a spoiler but if you have followed the N.W.A. all your life or if you know about the history of the rap group, you know what happens to Eazy-E in the final third of the film. When he tries to get the N.W.A. back together, he collapses and gets sent to the hospital. On February 24, 1995 Eazy-E learned that he had been diagnosed with AIDS and he died a month later.

The N.W.A. revolutionized music and pop culture forever and their story is told beautifully by a filmmaker who knows their roots very well. I know most of today's audiences are not into the life of hardcore rap but "Straight Outta Compton" is well written and I wouldn't call it a music biopic at all, it's more like a history lesson. The rap group hit the music world to a pulp by igniting a culture war with their abrasive lyrics. All five young actors and Paul Giamatti are terrific here in a movie that's not just about rap music, it's a gritty drama about a dark business. I also want to give a shout out to Keith Stanfield who is really good at portraying Snoop Dogg who started his career at Death Row Records.

Engaging and unapologetic, "Straight Outta Compton" is a movie that must be seen even if you're not into rap. It might be two and a half hours long but this is a strong movie from director F. Gary Gray.