American Horror Story: Detroit
9/10
Kathryn Bigelow's latest film, Detroit, recounts the chaotic 1967 Detroit Riots as well as the following incidents at the Algiers Motel. To say the film is not for the faint of heart is a massive understatement. Detroit unapologetically personifies the horrors of racism, bigotry, and cruelty. From the opening frame to the last, Detroit is a masterclass of unnerving, riveting and downright horrifying cruelty. It's as important of a film as its cry out for change.
Kathryn Bigelow seems to have found her niche with real life dramatizations of American history. With this film, she reaches the heights of Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips, United 93) in the art of creating tension and sustaining it. She masterfully captures the intensity, frustration, and chaos of the riots. The riots feel so tangible it's as if Kathryn Bigelow walked in on a riot and started filming. She displays the same skill with the Algiers scenes except with much more precision. The whole second act of the film is more terrifying, intense and horrific than most horror movies. It's so well done you don't even notice that it takes up the majority of the film’s long runtime. Bigelow even keeps the film rolling through scenes (particularly at the end) where other directors may have stumbled. Bigelow, with Detroit, succeeds whereas Christopher Nolan, with Dunkirk, did not. Bigelow captures the tension early on and doesn't let it leave her grasp while Nolan undercut the tension and didn't get it back again due to his compulsive need for complexity, and incoherence.
Detroit may be a masterclass of tension but it also features an exceptional performance from Will Poulter. Will Poulter shines as the racist cop Krauss, and completely shatters his image of creepy virgin eyebrows kid from We’re the Millers. From the get-go you just couldn't take your eyes off this monster. His unrelenting ferocity and devilish hatred towards his victims makes your skin crawl in fear. This is an excellent performance that deserves Oscar attention (though may not get it due to how controversial his character is). Another standout was Algee Smith who may make a name for himself, maybe even as a singer. John Boyega (Melvin Dismukes in the film) was good even though Mark Boal (the screenwriter) may have forgotten about him as Boyega just stood by as if he was a ghost. Another hiccup that the screenwriter never addressed was why didn't the civilians at the Algiers just blame the dead black guy (played by Jason Mitchell) for shooting at the police and hiding the gun, especially since he was the shooter. Maybe a case of don't talk to the police or they’re honoring their dead friend, but some clarity to this would have been more appropriate.
Some of the biggest complaints about this film is that like The Passion of the Christ it focuses on the violence in favor of a deeper meaning. But the violence in Detroit and in The Passion both serve a purpose. They do not glorify their brutality but they show the audience the true horror of that brutality, and what had to be sacrificed for a greater change. Another popular gripe is that the film is historically inaccurate. The filmmakers even displayed a subtitle stating that they had to dramatize certain events and fill in the blanks since some things are still clouded in mystery. Even the real life Dismukes said in an interview that the film is 99.50% accurate. That statistic should silence any haters calling this film SJW propaganda.
Detroit is an absolute must watch. It's THE best film of the year, thus far, and due to its relevance should be a definite Oscar contender. Kathryn Bigelow has made her best movie here and has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most prized directors.
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