‘Straight Outta Compton’
O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell,
Paul Giamatti
A
The new movie “Straight Outta Compton” topped charts during the past two weeks, with the first week bringing in $60.2 million in ticket sales.
After seeing this movie, let me tell you first-hand, if it doesn’t get an Oscar, the system is rigged. There is absolutely no way someone can leave the movie theater and say “Yeah, it was just all right”. Despite the profanity, drugs, sex and police brutality, the movie did more than just play a few beats and say a few words. It sent a message.
With everything happening in today’s society with cops, shootings and racism among neighbors, “Straight Outta Compton” highlighted issues both of today and yesterday. The music group, N.W.A., used its words to tell the story of an everyday life and attitude of an African-American during its time.
In the opening scene, Eazy-E, played by Jason Mitchell, is out on his usual illegal endeavors around town. Police show up, action is taken and Eazy-E escapes, finding a way out of a sticky situation. Characters Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, played by O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Corey Hawkins, are introduced next.
Dr. Dre, the master of the group’s beats is first shown in his room lost in his music, so lost that he doesn’t hear his mother calling his name. Ice Cube, the genius who wrote most of the songs for the group is on a bus writing lyrics, just for his own entertainment. The way these key players are introduced foreshadows their role in the group to be.
N.W.A. struggles with management, the FBI, each other, local police, racism and more.
One particular scene that was a mood changer was a concert performance in Detroit. Prior to the concert, the group members were told they would be arrested if they performed songs that bashed the police and law enforcement. Of course, being the rebellious and ruthless group they were, they proceeded to perform songs as planned, with one of them being “F*** tha Police”. Police then rushed the stage and after resisting arrest, the whole lot of them were tied up and thrown into squad trucks in front of thousands of fans.
“Straight Outta Compton” will have you screaming with laughter, tearing up in sympathy and jamming to the next rap song.
This is the movie for the inspired. To see just how bad things were for a small group of friends and then see them rise above the ridicule and tribulation is golden. If you didn’t know who Ice Cube was before “Are We There Yet?”, you do now.
Not only does the film accurately depict a historical event in a fascinating light, but it also is relevant to the times we are living in now and how far we still need to go as a society.
If you didn’t know about N.W.A before, you most definitely know now.
This movie is a must-see — maybe even twice.
