REVIEW: DetroitBy Quinn OxleyAugust 6, 2017I’ll be honest, guys. I’m not sure how to go about this one.
In late July 1967, racially motivated riots raged through Detroit; African-Americans were fed up with their living conditions and the seemingly omnipresent racial bias against them, and caucasians could do little to improve the situation. Amongst the chaos, seven black men and two white women were terrorized in the Algiers Motel. This is a fictionalized account of their story.
Detroit is an exhausting movie. It might be insensitive to say that in light of the subject matter, but it really is. Emotionally, mentally, and physically. It goes on forever and is frustrating in every sense of the word. You can’t have peace while you’re watching it.
In showing how mind-numbingly frustrating it was to be an African-American before civil rights were widespread, Detroit definitely succeeded. Every performance contributed to that end, and the injustice of the events of the film is enough to carry it to the end. I felt a lot, and if you’re looking to ruminate on some pretty harrowing, despicable things, then by all means, take the time to ingest this one.
I think the most frustrating part of the film was getting beyond the fact that I was supposed to feel badly. Feel badly about my race and about the horrible things that happened to these people. Obviously what happened to these people is horrific. No one deserves to be treated this way. This kind of racism does not exist in the spades that it used to, and focusing on such negativity - especially with it being such an inflammatory topic in our nation right now - is only bound to cause more division. I believe Morgan Freeman said it best when he was asked, “How do we end racism?†“Stop talking about it.â€
Is it good, though?
It’s a grueling experience, but if you’re up for it, it certainly takes you on a journey.
Rating: 6.5/10
2016 © ScreenFellas Entertainment
