"They want N.W.A, let's give em N.W.A."
One things for sure, they ain't short of attitude.
Being a fan of rap and hip hop, I was hugely excited to see what 'Straight Outta Compton' had to offer. N.W.A are a prominent piece of rap history and I didn't actually know too much about their story until seeing this film.
For me, it could have went one of two ways. It could have surprised us all and turned out to be something decent along the lines of '8 mile'. However, it could have quite easily ended up something like 50 Cent's 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'' embargo.
'Straight Outta Compton' actually lands somewhere in the '8 mile' region and honestly surprised me. Sure, it has its ups and downs but, for the most part, I really enjoyed it.
The film focuses on the three most prominent members of N.W.A. and splits into three separate narratives to deal with each character individually before bringing them all together. The narratives intertwine but for the majority of the time it deals with the different points of views.
The strongest aspect of 'Straight Outta Compton' was how it captured the time period and the music.
The first half of this movie was definitely the better half. It has so much energy and raw aggression to capture the essence of the group and how it was formed. You get sucked into their lives and it does a great job of putting you right in the time period. It makes you understand their situations during that hard time in America and you can appreciate what they went through. From the racism to the police brutality, it paints a clear picture and helps inform us of the injustices and why the group became what they were.
The music is obviously at the forefront of this film and it's brilliant to have that feeling of almost seeing them perform live. It feels raw and exciting. If you're a rap fan then you'll be right at home with this. They really capture the groups momentum and style and you could feel the whole audience move as the beats blasted from the speakers. You get an insight into Dr Dre's methods and how he developed as a producer which was probably some of the most interesting parts of the movie.
I wasn't expecting much from the performances in this film but, overall, they are pretty decent.
Paul Giamatti gives a complex and interesting performance as the groups manager Jerry Heller. He struggles with his love for the group and his greed. A difficult task for an actor to find that balance but with an experienced character actor like Paul Giamatti it's a sure thing that he'll deliver.
O'Shea Jackson Jr. does a solid job as his father Ice Cube, it must have been such an advantage to have him as a living and breathing inspiration to draw from on set. He looks like him, acts like him and raps like him. You forget that you are watching his son which means you can just focus on the story.
Things begin to stray off slightly after we get into the later years of the films timeline as the energy goes and the separate narratives begin to drag. It feels like you're simply moving from one event to the other without much of the attention and care that went into the first half.
I did feel like the ending was a little rushed. Plot points were condensed and pushed to the point where it almost felt like it was bored of itself and wanted to finish. It does have some sad moments but I feel like if they had spent more time on developing the climax of the film then it could have been a lot more hard hitting. It feels like a film of two halves rather than a seamless timeline of their career.
Is the whole story true?
I'm not sure. Probably not.
I can imagine there's a lot of truth in there that's been bent slightly with the members of N.W.A. being alive and involved in the production but, at the end of the day, it's an entertaining film nonetheless.
There are plenty of clever Easter eggs and rap references to found which was fun to look out for. If you're a fan of rap then everything has extra meaning and influence when you get the references. Tupac even makes a short appearance which was unexpected.
Overall, 'Straight Outta Compton' isn't without its faults but is a decent film overall. You don't have to love rap to enjoy it but it certainly helps considering it's about a rap group.
Now, I think I need to dig out my copy of 'Boyz n the Hood'.
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