This review is a couple of weeks late, but I would be remiss if I had not written about it. I am not the biggest fan of “Biopics”. Often times I find them enjoyable, but they lack heart. Studios figure they can make a biographical picture and end up getting some sort of Oscar consideration. What makes this film special is that I did not feel any of this. This film has a story worth telling, and it is obvious that the cast and crew were very passionate about it.
Speak A Little Truth And People Lose Their Minds
What really impressed me with this film is the performances. Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, and O’Shea Jackson Jr, all shine through their portrayals of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube. The standout here is Jason Mitchell. I have never heard of him before, but now I will never forget him. He gave a fantastically raw performance, and did not even think about him being an actor. He completely sold me on Eazy-E’s character. That is not to discredit Corey Hawkins and O’Shea Jackson Jr, because both of them also turned in some fine performances, but Jason Mitchell was just given a little bit more to do emotionally. The way the film was shot also really impressed me. It was as if the filmmakers intended on shooting it like a documentary, but in a more stylistic way. The camera would constantly move around, but not too much to draw attention to it. It felt as if we, the audience, were witnessing the film’s events in person. The writing was also fairly solid, as well as the plot. Even thought I had several issues with the plot (more on that later), it still shined throughout. I particularly loved the first 40 minutes or so, and thought the film ended in a great way. The biggest compliment I can give this film is that it taught me something new, and it even got me to research a bit of the history on my own. That is not an easy task. Too often I see a biographical picture, and forget about it after a couple of days. This film really stuck with me, and that is because the filmmakers were so passionate about it. They had a story they wanted to share with the public, and they were able to take their passion and create something that inspires those who see it to take an interest in the events that occurred.
F___ The Police
I wish I could have stopped writing at this point, but unfortunately the film does have a few flaws. First of all, the pacing is a little off. The film felt like it was dragging a bit from the middle to the end. The first act of the film not only went by very quickly (seemingly), but it was able to seamlessly intertwine scenes involving police brutality. The latter half of the film was not as successful. Scenes during the second half just felt like they dragged on a little bit, therefore the pacing became an issue. Another issue with the film lies in the representation of its’ characters. After I did some research on the events of the film, I found out that Dr. Dre was not portrayed with accuracy. The film leaves out some crucial information about his character (which I will not get into details here, but feel free to look it up), and I found this irritating. I understand that he and Ice Cube were producers on the film, but if the film is a biopic, it needs to be accurate. For the most part, everything else was fairly accurate, but I believe the film should have strived to present everything with accuracy.
Closing Remarks
I really did enjoy this film. While the second half was not as good as the first, it still had plenty of good moments. This is a film that made an impact on me, something which few films of late have been able to do. I hope to see more of the three leads, as well as the director (who did a great job). I was a bit disappointed to learn of the film’s inaccuracies, but it is not the first (nor the last) film do leave out crucial information. I only hope that future biopics learn from this film, and approach it’s material with genuine intentions to tell a story that deserves to be told.