![]() That shift is jolting, as the raw honesty at he beginning of the film morphs into a more carefully-tailored depiction of Dr. Dre's story that takes over in the third act, while Ice Cube becomes something of a side character in the proceedings. Though the movie starts with eyes on Eazy-E, it's in fact Dr. What we get afterward is the pastiche of history that is common to biopics - and like so many other films in the genre, Straight Outta Compton can't find central threads strong enough to tie together each episodic moment we witness without a lot of a notable jumps and omissions. However, by the time the second act has culminated in chronicling's N.W.A.'s infamous confrontation with police at a Detroit concert, the screenplay (the composited work of four relatively untested screenwriters), has largely run out of thematic fuel. ![]() It's as if Straight Outta Compton has arrived serendipitously in order to remind us just how far things haven't come since the late '80s, and what rap music represents to that struggle. ![]() This communication of the motivations behind West Coast gangsta rap's origins is a feat in itself, but Gray's film gets the added boost of coming at a time when the cultural zeitgeist is once again focused on issues of wealth inequality, police brutality and racism. with the lyrics and attitudes of hardcore rap music. From the opening scene (an intense look at Eazy-E's work as a drug dealer), Gray starts a pressure-cooker that successfully conveys how the reality of impoverished, deadly and oppressive life in Compton instills the members of N.W.A. Gary Gray directs an awards-worthy biopic for two-thirds of Straight Outta Compton's runtime. itself, Straight Outta Compton starts out with something important to say, but ultimately loses its message as egos and fame cloud the vision.į. With so many famous characters to follow, and so many well-known events to cover (or not cover), the movie ends up sacrificing thematic focus for selectively episodic (and flattering) visits along its subjects' path to stardom. However, like most biopics, the attempt to cover so much life (and in this case, milestone events) in the span of a feature-film results in a slight thinning of focus as the movie goes on. Gary Gray into an inspiring tale of musical aspiration amidst overwhelming adversity. Straight Outta Compton is a standout entry in the biopic genre, masterfully crafted by F.
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