'Detroit' should be on your must-see list

Fri, Aug 11th 2017, 10:58 AM

Detroit (Rated C)
Cast: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith
Genre: Crime drama
Dwight's Rating: Very, very good

There's not much to say here.
Other than, "What are you waiting for? Go and watch 'Detroit'! Now!"
The new film about a little-known but unbelievably disturbing incident during the 1967 Detroit race riots is compelling and shocking. Yet, sadly, it feels like it could very easily happen today in the United States (U.S.).
In the summer of 1967, rioting and civil unrest starts to tear apart the city of Detroit. Two days later, a report of gunshots prompts the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Army National Guard to search and seize an annex of the nearby Algiers Motel. Several policemen start to flout procedure by forcefully and viciously interrogating guests to get a confession. By the end of the night, three unarmed men are gunned down while several others are brutally beaten.
Kathryn Bigelow -- still the only woman in the 89 years of the Academy Awards to have won Best Director (for the 2008 war thriller "The Hurt Locker") -- re-teams with screenwriter Mark Boal, who also wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for "The Hurt Locker" and shared the producing Oscar when that film won Best Picture.
Here, Bigelow and Boal have done another amazing job. Having collaborated on "Zero Dark Thirty" as well, these two clearly do a lot of war pictures together. And the chaotic scenes depicting the Detroit riots show just how close to war many of the big cities in the U.S. seemed during the height of the Civil Rights movement.
Those scenes are ironically almost beautiful with their lighting and composition. And throughout the film, the edge-of-your-seat tension -- particularly in the conflict scenes with the police -- make it hard for anyone watching not to imagine what they would do, if faced with a similar situation.
What stands out the most, however, is the amazing cast. Everyone is clicking, including John Boyega ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens"), Anthony Mackie ("Captain America: Civil War") and singer Jacob Latimore.
But even among this stellar group, the most memorable performances are from relative newcomer Algee Smith (TV's "The New Edition Story") as an up-and-coming singer destined for greatness, and in the worst possible place at the wrong time, and from British actor Will Poulter ("We're the Millers"), as the ringleader of a group of incredibly racist cops.
"Detroit" opened just under two weeks after the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit riot -- nearly one full week in that final week of July that became one of the deadliest and most destructive riots in the U.S.' history.
That's probably why this fine film has opened in the summer, as opposed to closer to what has traditionally been considered Oscar-season later in the year. Nevertheless, don't be surprised to see it included on the list of the year's best, especially with regard to its cinematography and direction.

o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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