Image: www.straightouttacompton.com.au
Off screen, the tale of hiphop supergroup N.W.A surged from a humble start on the streets of Compton in South Central Los Angeles to ascend to the heights of music popularity and celebrity, and sprawled from a band of neighbourhood acquaintances to influence not just their preferred style, but the industry in general. On screen, the biopic that bears the name of their debut studio album endeavours to mirror the same movements, bursting forth with energy as a reflection of marginalised voices finding their platform, and then following the ripples their fame and success caused both personally and professionally.
Indeed, with Straight Outta Compton, director F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen) and writers Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center) — working with a story drafted by S. Leigh Savidge (The Legend of Dolemite) and Alan Wenkus (Private Resort), then taken over by Berloff — attempt an unenviable mission of capturing an electrifying force that still sets off sparks in more than just memories. That they do so by aping what worked so well for the pioneering figures they follow, namely brashness and bravado, as well as an aesthetic approach that has become so engrained in gangsta rap culture, isn’t unexpected; that the movie scales similar peaks as its subjects is.
So unfurls an effort that recreates and chronicles the coming together and falling apart of Ice Cube (first-timer O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Ice Cube’s actual son), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins, Romeo and Juliet), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell, Broken City), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge, TV’s Turn) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr., Bad Blood), starting in 1987 and spanning the highs and lows that marked their association for much of the next decade. In the former camp, they sold millions of records, toured the country to courted controversy, became stars and spawned their own solo ventures. In the latter, egos, money, management, violence, competition and more splintered the camaraderie that first sprang from their shared beginning.
The scope of the narrative tackled, winding through the societal reaction, race relations, police enforcement, family tragedies, turf wars, record company wheeling and dealing, contract disputes and onset of illness that is now all a matter of history, is considerable, as is the sound the film attempts to capture. Thankfully, even with seemingly obligatory, brief appearances by Warren G. (Sheldon A. Smith, Unspeakable Indiscretions), Snoop (Keith Stanfield, Dope) and Tupac (newcomer Marcc Rose), the scale of Straight Outta Compton never overpowers the end result.
While reverence and enthusiasm bubble over, lest it be forgotten that the real-life Ice Cube and Dr. Dre rank among the film’s producers, the movie makes meaningful celluloid flesh out of music that helped defined a place, a head space and a generation — albeit in a clearly mythologised form. Though affection reigns, the feature excels in capturing not just a story but a spirit that is as infectious within the film as it still proves in actuality. The anticipated greatest hits-like soundtrack isn’t the only thing causing a hum and buzz, with the feature’s sense of vitality apparent in the majority of frames and exchanges.
Of course, that the lengthy film wrestles its impact from a conventional structure — and wrings its emotion from a celebratory, laudatory tone — can’t be missed, nor can the fine line it skirts between documenting and indulging the exploitation inherent in the hiphop-style visuals. Thankfully, just as a piece of dialogue reminds audiences that N.W.A’s records were a reflection of their reality, Gray evidently again endeavours to guarantee that art imitates life in the main details and the look presented. His involvement helps prove this, calling upon his experience directing music videos for Ice Cube and Dr. Dre since 1992, as well as helming the Ice Cube-written and starring Friday. His fluid and freewheeling technique also assists, effectively corralling and condensing information that could furnish several offerings without leaving a rushed feeling, and exploring pivotal moments in the story to justify such a prominent attitude of confidence.
Accordingly, neither grates as they might have in lesser hands, feeding into an overall air that crackles with exhilaration. That leaves the mantle of the most egregious inclusion to sit with Paul Giamatti, playing yet another meddling interloper after a comparable role in Beach Boys-focused effort Love & Mercy. What the bulk of Straight Outta Compton boasts that Giamatti’s turn does not — including the excellent young cast, especially the combination of bluster and vulnerability in Jackson Jr — is conviction. Though ensconced within safe confines, the boldness and belief that made ‘Fuck Tha Police’an anthem 27 years ago lives on in the movie tasked with charting its genesis and legacy.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Straight Outta Compton
Director: F. Gary Gray
USA, 2015, 147 mins
Release date: September 3
Distributor: Universal
Rated: MA
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