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09/03/2015 12:01 AMRated R
In the 1980s, a group of five young men from Compton, California brought together their talents to form the rap group N.W.A. They rose to near instant stardom thanks in part to their thought-provoking and often controversial lyrics, but also due to their notoriety of refusing to back down to the power of authorities. The documentary film Straight Outta Compton is currently taking over cinemas in much the same way that the group’s songs took over music in the late ’80s and early '90s. It is a powerful film that tells the story of the men’s rise to fame, their eventual break-up, and where their individual talents took them after the group’s demise.
Jason Mitchell (Contraband and Broken City) stars as Eazy-E; O’Shea Jackson, Jr., (in his first acting role in a film) stars as Ice Cube; Corey Hawkins (Non-Stop and Iron Man 3 ) stars as Dr. Dre; Neil Brown, Jr., (Fast & Furious and Battle Los Angeles) stars as DJ Yella; and Aldis Hodge (Leverage and The East) stars as MC Ren. Together, those five made up N.W.A. Each of the group members had their own talents, but it was Ice Cube who was known for writing the group’s powerful lyrics, Dre who was a natural as a DJ and as a producer, and Eazy-E who had the instantly recognizable voice and swagger. Their style of music was groundbreaking and this documentary film shows just what a massive effect their music had on them as individuals and on American culture.
Not one of the five members of the group was a saint and the film doesn’t gloss over that. The film portrays the young men’s tendencies toward narcotics, sex, violence, and controversy. It does, however, gloss over some of the more troubling aspects of their past, which is unsurprising given that Ice Cube and Dr. Dre are two of the film’s producers.
The film touches upon various times throughout the group’s tenure together during its (overly long) nearly 2 ½ hour runtime. One of the very best moments in the film is the scene that portrays the group’s first recording session for their song “Boyz N the Hood.” It is touching to see them interacting then as friends and aspiring artists, funny to see all of Eazy-E’s initial attempts at getting the song’s opening line right, and eventually powerful once he does indeed nail it. Equally as important in the group’s history and the film’s plot is the scene when the group performed their famous anti-law enforcement song in Detroit despite orders from police not to perform it.
The film is high energy just as the group was, so in that respect it is a wonderful representation of the five members of N.W.A. and the heart they brought to their music. Their music is interlaced throughout the film, which, of course, brings real credibility to the film. The energy the film brings is infectious and (despite it lingering on the sickness and subsequent death of star Eazy-E from the AIDS virus near the film’s end), viewers of the film will leave the theater fully pumped up from the fast-paced vitality of it.
O’Shea Jackson, Jr., is the real-life son of Ice Cube and he was cast to portray him in the film. His performance is one of the standout ones in the film, and it’s more than just his appearance. He brings the ferocity to Ice Cube’s portrayal that Ice Cube always brought to the stage. Jackson’s performance, along with the equally good performance by Hawkins as Dre and Mitchell as Eazy-E, take this documentary and give it life. It is a must see for fans of N.W.A. and for anyone interested in the fascinating tale of the rise of one of the most influential musical acts of the last 25 years.
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