MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Biographical Drama/Stars: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti, Marlon Yates Jr., R. Marcos Taylor, Lakeith Stanfield, Alexandra Shipp, Corey Reynolds, Tate Ellington, Sheldon A. Smith, Elena Goode, Keith Powers, Mark Sherman, LaDell Preston, Cleavon McClendon, Rogelio Douglas, Jr., Steve Turner, Tyron Woodley, Marcc Rose, F. Gary Gray, Brandon Lafourche/Runtime: 147 minutes
I think it is fairly safe to say that when the first album from now-iconic rap group N.W.A. first made its way out into the world back in the long-ago year of 1988, it resulted in listeners getting to witness firsthand as the music of hip-hop was permanently transformed from a type of music mostly located on the East Coast to one that was more nationwide in perspective if not slightly more West Coast in style and flavor. Besides that though, it also saw the subgenre of hip-hop known as “Gangsta rap” be conjured up on the streets of L.A. and subsequently make quite the splash on the airwaves as it managed to strike a chord with a multitude of its young listeners due to a lot either feeling or going through the same things in day to day life as the artists themselves especially when taking into account the chaotic times that the group was a part of. To that end, just as this iconic group’s music was the voice for a generation, I think it can also safely be said that the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2015’s epic music biopic Straight Outta Compton, is very much a tribute to that voice and how it still manages to continue to resonate to this very day. With that in mind though, you should know that although this is very much an ”authorized biography” due to the participation of both former N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers and other people either connected to the group or also former N.W.A. members themselves working behind the scenes, there is a caveat attached to that. That being that there are some things that this slice of cinema “conveniently” leaves out such as Dre’s assault of a TV host by the name of Dee Barnes in 1991 to name but one noteworthy example. Even with that in mind though, there is no denying that this slice of cinema, if you can get past the hiccups in it, is an incredibly well-made on both sides of the camera, highly engaging to watch, and quite integral in its own right slice of cinema about how a group of young men decided to make the world aware of the brutal yet honest reality they faced daily only to find themselves not only operating as a herald for a new era of music history, but also as a catalyst for important conversations that needed to be had in this country to start to be had in a way that it desperately needed.
The plot is as follows: Taking us back in time to the locale of (where else?) Compton in the long-ago year of 1986, Straight Outta Compton gets underway as we are quickly introduced to a trio of young men. The first is a guy by the name of Eric “Eazy-E” Wright as he finds himself in the midst of a drug negotiation gone awry and, in the ensuing chaos, is able to barely get out of being a part of a raid by that infamous group known as the L.A.P.D. The next day is where we get to meet our 2nd quasi-sorta protagonist in the form of a daydreaming and listening to music young man by the name of Andre “Dr. Dre” Young who is at a bit of a crossroads with his life only to move out of his mom’s house after she gives him grief for forgetting about a job interview he was supposed to go to. Finally, we meet our third protagonist of sorts in the form of a young man by the name of O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson who, besides being an immensely gifted lyricist, soon witnesses a harrowing situation unfold on his bus ride home from school involving a car full of gang members and some stupid kids showing off gang signs aboard the bus. We soon see that, due to being quite fascinated by Cube’s raps that were touching on extremely problematic issues that they and other individuals were facing at that particular point in time, Dre is able to persuade Eazy to help put money down to start a record label known as Ruthless Records and eventually get behind the mic to perform their first song known as “Boyz-n-the-Hood” after it is rudely turned down by a rap group from The Big Apple. A choice incidentally that sees the song become a local success and as a result our trio plus two other talents/neighborhood friends in the forms of DJ Yella and MC Ren respectively decide to come together to form a music group known as N.W.A (I’ll let the film fill you in on what that particular acronym stands for). It isn’t long after that though that we see Eazy meet and accept an offer from a particularly noteworthy individual in the music industry by the name of Jerry Heller to come onboard and operate as group manager. Of course, as their fame starts to grow, we see that the group starts to come into conflict with both the authorities who find their lyrics extremely controversial (if not more than slightly problematic) and from within courtesy of Jerry engaging in practices that a manager shouldn’t. Thus, this is the story of a group who not only transformed the realm of music, but who also proved to be the spark for a social discourse that we are still in the midst of discussing to this very day….
Now right off the bat, it should be noted that this slice of cinema from film helmer F. Gary Gray may be the tale of N.W.A. with nearly all of its highs and lows attached, but it also is regaling for us the story of the city of Los Angeles in the same period of time as well complete with all the discontent and prejudices of the day which eventually gave way to the infamous Rodney King riots of 1992. As a result, don’t be surprised if there are moments in this that seem to be quite familiar for this particular genre of movie magic due to how expansive of a canvas this film’s helmer is working with. With that being said though, even though there are moments where this slice of cinema’s helmer (who actually got his start on the iconic 1995 masterpiece Friday) engages in beats that might seem a bit on the run of the mill side, there is also no denying that he is able to bring forth an abundance of attention that helps this film overcome that distinct run of the mill vibe even while it also conveniently manages to gloss over certain things that perhaps this film shouldn’t have out of a sense of trying to be as honest of an account as possible. With that said though, it should be said that this slice of cinema for all that it conveniently looks the other way on does ensure that the group’s members are by no means completely upstanding individuals even whilst also showcasing for us that a lot of their confidence is meant to serve as a shield of sorts to protect them from the conditions that were going on in the streets at that time. Indeed whilst there are more than a few moments that showcase this quite effectively, perhaps the most potent is the one that is meant to serve as the creative genesis for a particular song of theirs that will undoubtedly chill you to your core especially in the wake of all the protests for the Black Lives Matter movement. Of course, as the film goes on we see that things happen which cause the group to splinter and head off on different trajectories. Yet even as this occurs thus causing the scope of the film to dramatically increase, we see that Gray’s helmsmanship remains wonderfully on-point in how we get a fairly equal amount of time with each of the guys in seeing what life in the aftermath of N.W.A. was like whilst also being able to become quite emotional for reasons I shan’t spoil here as the film draws to a close. Now, in terms of other phenomenal ingredients behind the camera, it should be noted that the camerawork on display here does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are actually back in late 80s/early 90s South Central L.A. whilst the quite expansive musical soundtrack heard throughout is brilliantly chosen. Finally, praise should also be given to this film’s helmer for doing a great job during the moments where the group is either performing live or when they are in recording sessions together. Indeed, not only does it feel like we are actually watching footage of the group’s sessions from back in the day, but they also have a quasi-sorta improv vibe about them that makes these moments in this film feel a lot more organic than they would have otherwise. Suffice it to say that the work done behind the camera on this slice of cinema is no more and no less than grade-A.
Of course, all the work done behind the scenes is only half the equation for this slice of cinema to ultimately be successful. For the rest, it would take the work done in front of the camera by the cast of performers to be on the same caliber of greatness. Fortunately, that is not a problem for this slice of cinema as every single one of its performers is no less than top-flight in every sense of the word. Even with that in mind though, there is no denying that the best performance out of the bunch is O’Shea Jackson Jr. who, in case you didn’t know, is playing his father in this who also happens to be none other than one of this film’s producers. That’s right: in case you didn’t put two and five together, this young man is the prodigy of the iconic rapper-actor-producer Ice Cube and trust me when I say he is phenomenal. Indeed on an external level he looks incredibly like his father did back in the day especially when he is dressed in his dear ol dad’s threads from back then. Yet, and even more important than how he looks on the outside, he also does a fantastic job of not only showing off his dad’s quirks, but also his tempo of character as well which makes for a fantastic comprehension that might not be that all that revelatory given his previously mentioned relationship to the individual in question, but that still makes for a truly phenomenal turn in this all the same. That and I’ll be honest: he totally gets this slice of cinema’s funniest line. I won’t go into spoilers as to what it is or where it occurs in this slice of cinema, but trust me when I say that it is fantastic when it is uttered here. At the same time though, it should also be said that the rest of the cast in this prove to be just as fantastic in their respective roles as well. This starts with Corey Hawkins who, as Dr. Dre, is actually really freaking good. Indeed he might not fully resemble Dre at times throughout, but Hawkins is able to capture both the heart and soul of this genuine one of a kind icon to say nothing of his skill as a music talent/producer so well that it definitely helps to make up for it. Along with him, I really did dig Jason Mitchell who is chillingly good as the iconic Eazy-E. Indeed not only does he actually to a large degree look like the guy who made the group’s single “Boyz-N-The-Hood” such an instant hit, but he also does a great job at embodying this charismatic character who was able to bring the iconic talents of himself, Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella together yet also had a hand in tragically breaking them apart as well. Now, in the role of the group’s infamous manager Jerry Heller, we get a wonderful performance from the always delightful Paul Giamatti. Here though, Giamatti does a great job (even if he clearly looks nothing like the actual guy) at playing a character who yes does some fairly despicable things, but he also does some pretty good things as well thus making him a character that you might not be too fond of by film’s end, but you also are able to see is more a three-dimensional human being and less a one-dimensional moustache-twirling villain. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in phenomenal work from such screen talents as Lakeith Stanfield, Aldis Hodge, Alexandra Shipp, Corey Reynolds, Neil Brown Jr., and R. Marcos Taylor who is nightmarishly spot-on in his portrayal of the infamous Suge Knight respectively what you get here is a cast that knew what was being asked of them and then delivered in the finest way possible.
All in all is Straight Outta Compton a perfect slice of cinema? Honestly no, but I can see how a lot of people might think otherwise. With that in mind though, is this a terrible slice of cinema that isn’t even worthy of being talked about? Truthfully I wouldn’t say that either. Rather, I would say that this is a genuinely great slice of cinema plain and simple. Yes, there are a few issues to be had with this slice of cinema with perhaps the key one being that there are certain things “conveniently” left out of the narrative. Even with that and the other minor issues in play though, there is no denying that the work done behind the scenes is fantastic and the work being done in front of the camera by this slice of cinema’s stacked cast of talent is nothing short of phenomenal. Thus, if you want to see a fairly faithful look at the rise of both one of the most influential rap groups of the past 4 decades if ever as well as some of that genre of music’s most influential artists from the same time period then definitely check this slice of cinema out. Trust me when I say that you most definitely will not regret it. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Straight Outta Compton “2015” a solid 4 out of 5.
