When we listen to hip-hop music, we enjoy the flow and the rhythm, along with the beats some of these genius music producers put out. However, we know very little about the inspiration behind most of the lyrics, the passion, and the frustration that these artists dish out through their music. “What do you know about the inception of some of the most beloved hip-hop groups?” Well, that’s the question that Straight Outta Compton pushes onto its viewers. It’s a film that dives headfirst into an era where the black community was beyond marginalized, forced into a world of violence and unlawfulness right outside their doorstep.
How to Download Straight Outta Compton
You can download the film from a digital store. You can also stream it. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like biographical movies about musicians, check out also our reviews of Elvis, Rocketman, Bohemian Rhapsody, or Respect.
Straight Outta Compton – the Movie Review
This movie traces the development of N.W.A. It follows the group from its formation in 1986 to Eazy-E’s shocking passing due to AIDS. We perceive them as young people who defy society and just care about themselves. However, there’s a bigger picture to their attitude. They consider themselves journalists because they document what happens outside their doors such as prejudice, gang violence, police brutality, and much more.
They use their hip-hop group as a way of venting their resentment using the provocative and explicit terminology of “gangsta rap.” The group’s dissolution is covered in the movie, along with its high points and the lowest of low points.
This film explores the growth and fall of the biggest rap group in history, their evolution, and the damage that fame, wealth, and power can bring to them. Those factors even impacted their friendships with each other, which is also a central theme of the movie. This film is primarily about the abuse and injustice that black people in the United States endured at the hands of the police, a subject that is still extremely relevant. This is shown without any punches pulled, the film is visceral and violent as director F. Gary Gray successfully puts you in that time period.
If you’ve ever seen Ice Cube act, you know that O’Shea Jackson Jr. did a great job portraying him. In fact, he probably did it better than Ice Cube himself could have, and the bonus here is that he’s a spitting image of his father so the casting is made even better.
The Characters
The movie’s standout characters were Corey Hawkins’ outstanding portrayal of Dr. Dre and Jason Mitchell’s portrayal of Eazy-E. Then there are Aldis Hodge’s MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella, two legendary producers, and creative lyricists. The actors in this cast did an amazing job of bringing their roles to life, and they DESERVE the praise they received. Of course, Paul Giamatti also gave an outstanding performance as renowned music producer Jerry Heller. Overall, outstanding performances and superb casting.
The Visuals
The visual style of the film is not just meant to bring you a sense of nostalgia, but it’s also meant to make you think about the conditions that the black community lived in at the time. The cinematography and the music play an integral part in what makes this film so chaotically beautiful. The camera work is precise, with each shot having a story to tell, and the music is not just a thing of elevation, it’s the whole story, and Joseph Trapanese composes it beautifully.
This is what separates Straight Outta Compton from most other films of its kind, this is a passion project where all elements are so well aligned that you simply struggle to find any mistakes in the film itself.
The Verdict
Straight Outta Compton is unmatched in terms of enjoyment and a lens into a period long gone yet still relevant. Despite being set a few decades in the past, the movie’s social satire is startlingly up to date in terms of its themes and problems. While it might adhere to some conventional biopic cliches, such as the typical “rise and fall” format of this film.
Nonetheless, the project feels layers above those flaws into something truly important because of the swagger, confidence, charm, and unifying strength of everyone involved. At last, this is unquestionably a must-see film as not just a piece of hip-hop history, but as a film that truly has something to say.
