★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This is a superb piece of edutainment from director F. Gary
Gray, taking its name from the debut album of NWA. It charts the rise of the
group through the late 1980’s to early 90’s, following Ice Cube, Dr. Dre,
Eazy-E and more from the mean streets of their hometown to world-conquering
success. I should mention that watching this movie for me was like diving into
the deep end: I knew nothing about the NWA, Compton, the Rodney King riots or
even rap music as an art form. It is to the film’s very great credit that I
found it as engaging, entertaining and tense as any mega-blockbuster action
drama.
Straight Outta Compton
really comes into its own in the performance department. The decision to cast O’Shea
Jackson Jr. (the son of Ice Cube) as a younger version of his own father is an
unexpected masterstroke: not only is the physical resemblance uncanny, but Jackson
Jr. carries off the way Cube holds himself and even his facial tics to boot. Jason
Mitchell also turns in a very fine performance as the young Eazy-E, drawing out
the emotional core of the film while his counterparts (Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre,
Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, etc.) form a ring of confidence and energy around him.
Paul Giamatti also appears to be having more than his fair share of fun as
silly-wigged manager Jerry Heller, doing a lot of shouting and spitting in a
quite diverting manner.
Whilst it’s true that a film like this is destined by
default to re-tread the usual rock biopic beats, Compton differentiates itself by having the ‘behind-the-scenes’
moments (usually all too brief in its contemporaries) directed with as much –
if not more – vigour, steadiness and attention to detail as the stage-shaking
live shows and street-bound brawls: there’s sincerity behind the swagger.
Subtlety and delicacy aren’t always the guiding light,
however. Wolf of Wall Street-level
displays of excess run rampant throughout the second half, lending the length
of the movie a somewhat bloated feeling. NWA’s success isn’t necessarily
wearing to watch, rather the fact that I’m more interested to see the how and the why than the what.
Problems also arise when the film avoids tackling the well-documented misogyny
intertwined within NWA’s rise to power. A true-to-life story that’s prepared to
address violence and political unrest shouldn’t be afraid to do the same with
sexism.
Perhaps the film’s greatest feat (especially for those of us
with little to no knowledge of the story, the debut album, or rap music itself)
is reminding us that a genre of music stereotyped as merely provocative and
thuggish is rooted in honesty and emotion. But for a few miniscule missteps, Straight Outta Compton’s depiction of
NWA is as uncensored, urgent, and powerful as their music.
