Straight Outta Compton (2015)
★★★★½ — Straight Outta Compton (2015)
F. Gary Gray directed Straight Outta Compton in 2015, reuniting in a sense with Ice Cube after the two had worked together on Friday back in 1995. Gray had spent much of the intervening years on studio action fare (The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen), and this biographical drama marked something of a return to the community that first gave him a foothold in the industry. The film covers the formation and fracturing of N.W.A., the Compton rap group whose 1988 debut album shook American popular culture and drew the direct attention of the FBI. Produced on a modest $28 million budget, it earned over $200 million worldwide, a considerable commercial vindication. A notable casting choice saw O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ice Cube's son, playing his own father in his feature debut.
F*** The Police Absolutely brilliant. The casting is near perfect, everyone embodies their roles so well it feels like watching the real thing, especially O’Shea Jackson Jr. as his own dad, Ice Cube. The rise of N.W.A. is portrayed with energy, emotion, and a real sense of cultural impact. It doesn’t shy away from the chaos, the politics, or the personal clashes that made the group both iconic and combustible. The soundtrack is obviously legendary, but what really sticks is how well it captures the tension of the time, police brutality, free speech, the power of protest through music. One of the best music biopics ever made. Hugely influential group, given the big-screen treatment they deserved.
Rating: ★★★★½ | Year: 2015 | Watched: 2025-04-15
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from F. Gary Gray: Men in Black: International (2019) · Friday (1995)
More from United Kingdom: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) · Blue (1993)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
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