Review- Detroit

Detroit is the new film from Kathryn Bigelow, once the director of light hearted action movies like Point Break and Near Dark, now more known for her works grounded in miserable reality like The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. Detroit falls firmly into the latter category, being the dramatisation of the real life Detroit riots that occurred fifty years ago. That's what the action takes place around at least, as the bulk of the film is set in the Algiers Motel with the rest of the riots bookending the film. A gunshot is heard from the motel where lots of black men are staying (and also two white women from out of town) and a group of policemen go in to investigate, one of whom has a heavy racial prejudice. Things eventually spiral out of control and while the actual events that happened aren't fully known, Bigelow gives us a compelling narrative that regardless ends up at the same place the real events do. An easy story it isn't but it was never meant to be.

Performance wise, the film is absolutely flawless. The central character (as far as I interpreted the film) is John Boyega as Dismukes, a security guard who can only stand by and watch the events occur. It isn't a showy performance, there's no big moment that shows off Boyega's ability, it's just consistently impressive how much he is able to say with only his eyes and facial expressions. Plus, with that quietness, he acts as the audience surrogate, able only to stand by in horror and disgust. The rest of the ensemble prove excellent also with Anthony Mackie, Jack Reynor and Algee Smith all serving as standouts for their parts. There is one absolute standout actor here though and that's Will Poulter, known for The Maze Runner and The Revenant. He's previously been largely a joke because he has massive and highly distinctive eyebrows but he is no longer eyebrow kid, he is an utterly terrifying villain who is as unpredictable as he is detestable. Of all the performers here, he is the one who most deserves acting accolades, although the rest of the cast deserve high praise too.

Bigelow's work as a director in this film is what needs the final recognition here as it really feels like her movie, one that couldn't have been made without her. Now, there's been some debate about the film politically about whether a white filmmaker was the right person to adapt a story like this but considering the great work she's done on it, I have no problem. Bigelow herself also made the point that no one else was telling this story and it's one that needed to be told. What Bigelow is able to bring to this film though is the intensity of her most recent work. I haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty but the claustrophobic terror that she brought to segments of The Hurt Locker is prevalent for most of this film. That said, I don't think that it has quite the same intensity of Hurt Locker. It's an uncomfortable watch and every single gunshot or punch will make you flinch hard but there is a consistent tension from the first scene of Hurt Locker that is only sometimes around in Detroit. With the removal of that though, there is space for a surprisingly even handed portrayal of this event, refusing to paint one side as the complete bad guys, acknowledging the flaws in everyone and proving the event to be not as much about race as it is a case of the straw breaking the camels back.

I really do recommend this film. A lot of critics point to it being essential because of the racial issues it discusses and I can't argue with that. The reason I recommend it though is because it's a damn good film. It's intense, miserable and utterly unforgettable in all the right ways. You won't like watching it but you'll come out of it a better person or at the very least appreciating Bigelow's craft. That's why I give this film a