Typically, August is not a good time for releasing films. There’s rarely been any film released then which has received positive reviews, or a decent box office.
But the film that rose above those standards was Straight Outta Compton, a biographical drama directed by F. Gary Gray about the lifespan of the hip hop group N.W.A. A couple of the band members, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, helped produce this movie that recounted some of the most controversial moments of their lives. Does the movie represent Compton, or should you head straight outta the theater?
The film spans from late 80s and late 90s. It first gives us a glimpse into the early lives of Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. They live in an unsafe environment, surrounded by gang violence, drug abuse, racism, and corrupted cops.
All these men share an affinity for rap and hip hop music. They form the group N.W.A., but are slowly driven apart by personal relationships and record contracts. The movie also focuses on the impact this music has had not just on the genre, but on the people around them.
As with most real-life biopics there’s been certain material cut from the film, such as Dr. Dre’s acts of misogyny, but it is understandable why these parts were left on the drawing board when considering the whole of the film.
The movie had a lot of people and events to focus on, and occasionally feels a little overcrowded. At some scenes one could think that more could have been cut to have a balanced product.
But that doesn’t completely detract from Straight Outta Compton’s overall quality. The director F. Gary Gray showed such confidence in a number of shots. He claimed that this movie is one of the best he’s ever worked on and it’s evident from the artistic direction, which brings out more of the characters and their environments. It also helps if you’re a fan of the music of N.W.A., which the movie doesn’t shy away from in the soundtrack.
What ultimately made the movie for me though, were the stars themselves, who demonstrated such raw emotion when it came to tackling their characters. Even if not everything about their person is featured in the movie, they went all out on their character’s strength and flaws.
Ice Cube was portrayed by his own son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and it isn’t the novelty of the situation that makes him shine. I’ve seen Ice Cube a lot in both the music industry and films, so I went in with the mindset of how weird it would be to see someone portraying a relatively well known actor, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well he pulled it off.
Some people are going to assume it’s because of his genetics, but everyone else here is playing someone they aren’t related to, and they put the right amount of intensity within their performances as well.
Straight Outta Compton was a very entertaining watch thanks to its confident direction and engaging performances. The movie emphasized what made this group stick out above the rest, even if it was a little overcrowded at times. Even if you may not like their music, they still have quite the story to tell.