Detroit
Detroit tells the story of the 12th Street Riot in 1967, specifically focusing on an incident at the Algiers Motel, which escalated after police heard a gun shot coming from one of the motel windows.
A full account of the evening does not exist, and the events have been dramatised by director Kathryn Bigelow. The combination of filmed and archival footage works well as she successfully captures the feel of Detroit in the period. We follow the police, a security guard named Philip Dismukes (John Boyega) and a Motown group named "The Dramatics" before the three strands merge at the Algiers.
This extended midsection is one of the most harrowing I can remember in recent memory. Having seen Will Poulter as a dweeby teenager in passable comedy "We're The Millers" a few years ago, the transformation he undergos in this film as Philip Krauss is quite remarkable. The chacter is absolutely monstrous as he comes to epitomise police brutality of the period, going to unfathomably lengths to psychologically and physically abuse the occupants of the Algiers. It's a disturbing performance but one that never feels carictured. Plaudits should also go to Algee Smith playing Larry Reed, the singer of "The Dramatics", with a vocally impressive, emotive performance.
Boyega intrigues as Dismukes, a man hoping for order to be restored but seemingly powerless to stop the events that play out. In that sense he feels like an audience member on screen. Perhaps he and we are both complicit. Detroit is a disturbing, unsettling watch that will stay with you.
A full account of the evening does not exist, and the events have been dramatised by director Kathryn Bigelow. The combination of filmed and archival footage works well as she successfully captures the feel of Detroit in the period. We follow the police, a security guard named Philip Dismukes (John Boyega) and a Motown group named "The Dramatics" before the three strands merge at the Algiers.
This extended midsection is one of the most harrowing I can remember in recent memory. Having seen Will Poulter as a dweeby teenager in passable comedy "We're The Millers" a few years ago, the transformation he undergos in this film as Philip Krauss is quite remarkable. The chacter is absolutely monstrous as he comes to epitomise police brutality of the period, going to unfathomably lengths to psychologically and physically abuse the occupants of the Algiers. It's a disturbing performance but one that never feels carictured. Plaudits should also go to Algee Smith playing Larry Reed, the singer of "The Dramatics", with a vocally impressive, emotive performance.
Boyega intrigues as Dismukes, a man hoping for order to be restored but seemingly powerless to stop the events that play out. In that sense he feels like an audience member on screen. Perhaps he and we are both complicit. Detroit is a disturbing, unsettling watch that will stay with you.
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