Rating: 4/5
Before the film’s release, Straight Outta Compton was gaining traction and hype — with suggestions of Oscar nominations, and also criticism of the film’s erasure of domestic violence and abuse. Despite the main cast being unknown talents, the hype concerning Straight Outta Comptonis, in every respect, well-deserved. It is a compelling watch.
The biographical film follows the rise and fall of N.W.A., an American hip-hop group that used music to discuss the harsh realities of their lives. Made up of Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), MC Ren (Aldris Hodge) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.), N.W.A.’s combined talent and street bravado revolutionised hip-hop music, turning it into an outspoken tool to address the “thug life” of gangs, drugs, violence and police brutality. Despite the group’s success, their newfound fame not only places them on the musical map but also on the federal radar — resulting in jail time after a concert in Detroit.
Straight Outta Compton focuses just as much on the group’s bond as it does on the music they made. When Jerry Teller (Paul Giamatti) begins managing the group, cracks start to show between Eazy-E and the other members, who are paid less despite putting the same work into their music. Tensions arise, and when both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre leave, major revelations about Eazy-E’s health and Jerry’s embezzlement are exposed. But these eventually lead to the group’s reunion and rekindling of their friendships, which had first brought N.W.A. together.
The characterisation of each N.W.A. member by an almost unknown cast is remarkably well done. The hard “hood” exteriors of the rappers are exposed for what they are — mere exteriors. The audience is given tough, vulnerable and flawed characters. Unfortunately, the female characters are reduced to long-legged groupies, single mothers, drug addicts or pregnant wives.
Straight Outta Compton deserves praise for its gripping storyline and for giving the audience a deeper appreciation for rap and hip-hop music.