Success Comes "Straight Outta Compton"

I find it rare to find a biopic that not only is very intriguing, but also has the courage to not fully glorify its focus but at the same time celebrate what is so special or interesting about said focus while at the same time succeeding in creating a compelling and entertaining movie. Straight Outta Comtpon tells the intriguing story of late 80s, early 90s hip-hop group N.W.A., in particular its members Andre "Dr. Dre" Young (Corey Hawkins), O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), and Eric "Eazy-E" Wright (Jason Mitchell). But not only does the movie tell the story of N.W.A. during their prime, it also focuses on after the group's eventual break-up and the conflict between the key characters that went on during the time. This film does a tremendous job of giving us incredible personalities, a head-banging hip-hop soundtrack, deep insight into these people's careers, the ups and downs, and discussing social issues that are still relevant today. 



Every key character was portrayed perfect by this talented cast. Corey Hawkins is very good as Dr. Dre. Hawkins succeeded in portraying the genius, talent, and strive for success that Dre had always had in his career. When I first heard that Ice Cube, one of the producers of the movie, had cast his son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., has himself, I thought it was straight up nepotism. But when watching the film it makes a whole lot of sense, and on top of that Jackson Jr. actually does a pretty good job portraying his father. When watching the film I got the vibe that the producers, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, did not treat this as just a film to glorify themselves but to tell their stories and their struggles that ultimately is a part of reality. They took this project seriously. Cube must know that there not many other people who know him as much as his son does, and also he must have wanted to share with his son some of the moments he might have experienced at the time. But back to the performance itself, not only does O'Shea Jackson Jr. resemble so much like his dad, but he got the mannerisms, attitude, and delivery of the real Ice Cube we all know down. The performance though is not just one huge Ice Cube impression, there is a lot of soul and passion put into that performance that allows the audience to take it seriously. But I believe hands down the best performance in this movie had to be of Eazy-E by Jason Mitchell. Keep in mind that unlike Corey Hawkins and O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mitchell never had the original personality to help coach him because of obvious reasons. I guess thanks to intense research and preparation, Mitchell pulled it off magnificently. Every time he appears on screen as Eazy-E, the only word I can describe him as is captivating! He steals about every frame that he is a part of! You cannot take your eyes off this guy! When awards and Oscar season rolls around I will be appalled if Jason Mitchell does not get any type of nomination! I guess the main thing to take away from this is, from three main actors, not once did I see actors portraying Dr, Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E; I saw Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E! I felt I was right alongside these guys every moment of the movie. And if that is one of the films's goals, well they certainly succeeded! 



What I found really surprising about this film is that though from the advertising it may seem like it, this film is not just about N.W.A. and their peak. The movie is much more than that. It deals with the conflicts some of our main leads had with each other, the pros and cons of Dre leading Death Row records, Ice Cube's solo career success, the Rodney King incident and 1992 L.A. Riots, and the down spiral of Eazy-E's financial and health status. And all of these plot lines surprisingly for me tie in really well. I want to hesitate into going into a lot of detail and just make people who have not seen the movie yet just experience it for themselves, but to me the story was not just about N.W.A. but more about the brotherhood of that group, the dismantling of that brotherhood, and reunion of it. From this movie, it pretty much seemed like people like Dr. Dre and Ice Cube are not really fond of the times when they were personally drifting apart even though their careers at the time were skyrocketing to make them the famous icons they are today. But they wanted to tell stories about those conflicts with each other because they felt it made for an intriguing story, and on top of that served as a tribute to the whole reason why they started their careers not just to become famous and rich, but it eventually led in giving a voice from their people and their home to outsiders about social issues such as racism and police brutality that went on in their neighborhoods. All of these plot lines and themes in one way or another all tie in to one another to make a cohesive plots. There are a couple of scenes that do not really come full circle but, then again they are just very minor scenes in which this criticism would just be regarded as a nitpick. Overall, if you have not went out to see Straight Outta Compton,  do yourself a favor and check it out. Even if you are not a huge fan of the whole hip-hop/rap scene, you may find a new fascinating wonder and love for it after the movie, and on top of that it still succeeds in being highly entertaining making for a fun time at the cinema, while at the same time educating you with the strength of street knowledge. 

GRADE: AE