Detroit

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source: Detroit

It's 1967, and rioting and looting has broken out in the city of Detroit, with buildings being burned and shots being fired. The situation has progressed to the point that National Guard troops have been mobilized in the streets, and no one is safe. It's with this setting that the main story unfolds when shots are reported fired from a hotel, and police and troops converge on the building, leading to tense situation that leaves several people dead. The cast includes John Boyega as a black, uniformed security guard who gets swept up in events; Will Poulter as the leader of a trio of beat cops who take things too far; Algee Smith as an aspiring pop singer who has the misfortune of checking into the hotel; Anthony Mackie as a recently discharged Army veteran. This seemed like the kind of film to ignite a firestorm of controversy, with its setting of racial unrest and us-vs-them police misconduct coming on the heels of the recent incidents across the country, from Ferguson to Baltimore. Maybe people were exhausted from the news, or perhaps other current event spectacles rendered past injustices as moot points, whatever the reason, the film flopped at the box office although the critics enjoyed it. I liked it as well, but not as much as they did. Bigelow and Boal previously collaborated on the superior The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. They attempt a "you are there" cinema verite style that uses a lot of handheld camera and very little gloss or overly stylish cinematic tricks. They also made the wise decision to cast relative unknowns so as not to distract from the story, with the biggest names in the cast (Mackie and Krasinski) in lesser roles. There's quite a bit of build up before the movie gets to its main focus, but that may have been necessary to explain the actions of those involved when things finally hit the fan. Running just under 2 and a half hours, I found it a bit over long, and could have seen at least 15 minutes trimmed away. The performances are good for the most part, but I'm not too fond of Poulter. This isn't a bad movie at all, but it is hardly a stand-out in Bigelow's catalog of films.

This movie has a very intense pace. It's a story who had to be told and I believe that Directress Bigelow does it very well. In every frame there is something interesting going on and some kind of challenge. This gives a special feeling of how terrible things were at the time. I just have some trouble with the characters depth because it never really fleshes out the characters. Also some characters appear in a certain cliché way. You care and feel for them through the visual atrocities and because of the rejection of racism but not because you like the character on an emotional level. If you want to see a movie with a point of view and want to be emotionally moved then this is for you.

This film tells the story of a night going desperately wrong in Detroit. I knew the film would be disturbing, so I have put off watching it. And it is really disturbing. I feel so so sorry for the residents of the hotel. No one deserves to be treated like this. This film shows me just how it is to be an ethnic minority in Detroit at the time. The injustice is just shocking. I sympathise with the victims, and really wish that justice could prevail.

Kathryn Bigelow is known for her documentary-style camera-work and the creation of an intense atmosphere. This can be seen, either from the early work like Near Dark and Point Break, or from her more recent films such as The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. In one word, she is a good director for thrillers. But Detroit is not a pure thriller. It is more like a period drama. On the one hand, the interrogation in the motel is the thriller part of the film, and without any doubt, it is brilliant. The audience keep wondering what would happen next. On the other hand, the film as a whole is mediocre in story-telling and character development. The setup for the interrogation is unnecessarily too long. Also, the courtroom process after the interrogation is too short. For more than once, Bigelow just simply displays lots of texts on the screen to make up for her unbalanced story-telling. John Boyega's character could have been the most impressive because he is the most struggling one in conscience. Yet it turns out to be untrue due to the limited time and space given to the character. Overall speaking, Detroit could have been a thought-provoking classic, but it lacks depth in the end. There is no deeper discussion on the cause of the injustice or the impact it is could bring to real life. One real classic period drama is Spielberg's Schindler's List. In this aspect, Bigelow is still one step away from being a great director. One more thing, Will Poulter deserves a nomination for Oscar best supporting actor, whose performance is the key to the success of the thriller part.

The super cinematic duo of Director Kathryn Bigelow and Writer Mark Boal have constructed an impactful, passionate project in the film "Detroit". Rev up your Detroit Pistons, because this one is riveting. It is based on the true story of the 1967 Detroit riots centered on the police brutality travesty that happened in the city's Algiers Motel. Bigelow helms the movie in a masterful manner that magnetizes the viewer into the action, especially in the film's brawny second act. Boal scribes up a script as sturdy as a Detroit Tiger. The film's acting ensemble assembled roaring performances as loud as a Detroit Lion; including John Boyega, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Jack Reynor, Ben O'Toole, Anthony Mackie, Hannah Murray, and Kaitlyn Dever. But it was Will Poulter as the savage, racist cop Krauss that was the standout here and should be "red winging" it to a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. "Detroit" is one of the best films of 2017, and should be seen as soon as possible in your motown. ***** Excellent

Detroit is a movie that is based around the events of the Algiers Motel Incident during the African American rebellion. During that incident, a group of African American males and two white females are taken in as victims who threatened police officers at the Algiers Motel. When the incident unfolds, the men and women involved would have their lives completely changed. For what this movie is, it's fine. It's executed well enough even if it isn't completely historically accurate. It does have its intense moments, mainly towards the second act and the movie is very well acted. Algee Smith does a fantastic job with his character, Larry especially. Larry, admittedly is the main highlight of the movie for me. He is able to show so much through just his facial expressions and gestures, and I really admire Smith for executing that so well. There is a lot of political talk throughout this narrative. Some viewers may not understand all of it. Either way, my main issue with the movie is that it feels like it drags on for too long. This movie is almost two and a half hours long, and I feel like the running time could've been reduced by about 15 minutes. I mean, the majority of the first act does do a good job at setting up the catalyst of the plot, but since this movie is about Detroit's Algiers Motel Incident rather than simply the fall of Detroit itself, I feel like there's a good chunk in the beginning that could've been taken out. Even though Detroit feels like it drags on for too long, it's still a well acted and well written telling of a tragic event that took place in the city of Detroit. Sure, it could've been better, but it's at least a decent movie. 7/10