Detroit

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Based on a true story, and on the facts - insofar as they will ever actually be known - this is a gritty and quite depressing depiction from Kathryn Bigelow of one traumatic night in the city. It was during a night of rioting that a squad of police officers respond to reports of gunshots at a city hotel. Upon entering they discover a group of black youths, a couple of white girls - and what follows is a potent mix of racial hatred, bigotry and violence as the boys in blue leave what integrity they might have had at the door and leave again with three dead bodies and nine others savagely beaten to show for their policing efforts. Will Poulter sheds his nice but dim "Harry Potter" image and is really effective as the lead officer bent off exacting his own stye of justice, Ben O'Flynn also works well as his complicit sidekick and there are strong performances from Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith and from John Boyega as the state policeman trying to do his best to tread the very perilous line between law enforcer and African American. It shies not from presenting us with a ghastly human face for the spontaneous and plausible attitudes of superiority and disdain held by the polices and depicts with some menace how their captives are terrified and humiliated by the people they ought to heave been able to trust - and that extends to the "slutty" two white girls too. It's really one ensemble effort, the direction is taut and at time the whole thing just has a relentlessness that does make you wonder (I am not an American) how the hell this could ever have happened in a land that purported to be civilised and free (in 1967). Not an easy watch, but the events in Detroit 50-odd years ago still resonate with issues of policing and racism just a potently now, as when this is set.

An important story to tell no doubt, but as a film it's a disappointment in my opinion. Of course I cared for the characters from the first second due to the obvious subject matter, but that's as far as I ever got. It's a long 143 minutes, with one scene in particularly lasting an age without really doing much; except the final act of it. A film needs to do more, if this was a documentary - even a docudrama - then fair enough but it isn't. It also wastes a pretty top notch cast. John Boyega is in this, portraying Melvin Dismukes. The amount of times he's just there standing around doing nothing is frustrating, he has a few moments where he gets to act and you can see his phenomenal talent - especially one time where you see the effect of events on Melvin - but that's about it. A waste. Similar can be said for Anthony Mackie, star of one of my favourite films in <em>'The Adjustment Bureau'</em>. He plays such a minor role, you cast someone like Mackie you gotta use him more surely? Will Poulter gets most of the screen time. He's good I guess, not sure we need to see quite as much of him as we do - given his character is an open/shut case. Elsewhere, you have other familiar faces like Tyler James Williams (shoutout Noah) and John Krasinski. I don't intend to crap on this film. It's clearly well made, has great intentions and relays a notable story. I'm just disappointed with the end product, I judge films as films and <em>'Detroit'</em> is rather underwhelming.