Straight Outta Compton: 8/10

This movie would not have been greenlit 15 years ago.


And this movie took a decade to finally receive the full backing it needed to fully produce the story behind the rap group that started it all.


Perfect timing too.


Straight Outta Compton a surprisingly powerful and deep film that looks into the trials, tribulations, successes, and failures of the three main men behind N.W.A.; a group that fueled a short-lived but powerful revolutionary run of success with its urban attitude, strong lyrics, and absolutely biting commentary on devastating realities that music had never dealt with up to that point. N.W.A. became notorious for bringing light to living in the deepest parts of California while dealing with a society that constantly makes it difficult for them to branch out. This film doesn't just highlight their beginnings and eventual rise to success, it also deals with the outcome of their decisions and what happens when the wrong people are mixed in.

Some have argued that the aftermath bogs down the movie, that the third act becomes a slight drag. But truth be told, no storm literally or figuratively is at its strongest in the aftermath, but at the point of impact. From the first tense scene on, Straight Outta Compton holds very little back in terms of the lyrical content, the violence, the drugs, and the disturbing environment they have to survive in as they fight for a way out. Gang members pleading for the next generation to stick to their books, cops destroying houses they believe might have drugs, and a systematic cycle of violence and grimness that comes with the impoverished life. The script gives light on the good, the bad, and the ugly part of representing the hood culture that N.W.A. managed to (slightly) escape with their bittersweet poetry.

Movies representing this lifestyle and the people in it hardly get a good budget and good production value to back them up. But thanks to the powerhouse moneymakers that Dr. Dre and Ice Cube have become, it is now a hell of a lot easier for them to tell their story: and they got a great writing cast, great production team, and a superb director (F. Gary Gary has Friday and Italian Job in his resume) to back them up. Back then you couldn't have dreamed of an N.W.A. movie containing great cinematography, wonderful editing, and fantastic musical score (outside the source material) to follow a talented young cast that emulates the men behind the group perfectly. The movie is sleek, crisp, and sounds better than most of your biggest blockbusters.

There is no scaling back the content and the lifestyles during Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Easy-E's rise to the top. Some of what you see is concerning and slightly paints some ugly on their personalities, and that's why the third act albeit not as energetic is required. Consequences are indeed dished out, people are lost, friendships and partnerships are tested, and devils left and right challenge the foundation and wellbeing of our main cast. The story is never pretty, whether they are buying a new house or losing it. This is why Straight Outta Compton succeeds as a film, very little sugarcoating while giving each character their good side as well as their dark side.

The sugarcoating does exist though. With Ice Cube and Dr. Dre producing, I'm sure there were some skeletons in their closet that were not going to be revealed; especially when it involves the N.W.A. tours, the nasty rap beefs that followed (back when rap beefs had some actual meat), and especially during the darkest days of Death Row Records (led by rap music villain Suge Knight). Reputation is key, and I'm sure that Cube and Dre want to avoid any further controversies as their market value remains strong. They are now businessmen far removed from the dirty days of mixing records and avoiding arrest for being black. But hey, it's their money, so it's their story.

Straight Outta Compton is a big budget biography that hits all the right notes, even though it doesn't aim to tell the entire story. But there's a lot that needs to be said, and plenty was unveiled within the 140 minutes of great acting, superb writing, and tight direction. It is a rags-to-riches story, except for the fact that the rags followed them long after the riches came pouring in. If you think it's just a simple movie glamorizing the gangster life then you aren't seeing this with an open mind and both eyes open. The story took a while to be displayed on screen, but thankfully the moment has finally come, and it definitely doesn't disappoint.