BillyJoynt17 GerardoDavila17 Reviews17 Detroit - Review August 04, 2017 Read Mind on Movies review of DETROIT, premiering August 4. Detroit doesn't bluff, learn more in our review. R: August 4th, 2017 | R: 142 minutes | R: R There is something excitingly invigorating about the fact that Kathryn Bigelow decided to make this film. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 5-day riots in Detroit, and although the events took place half a century ago, they feel unnervingly relevant compared to America's current socio-political state. Bigelow's docudrama depicts, specifically, the Algiers Motel incident, when a group of police raided the site after reports of a gun shooting after the midnight of July 25, 1967. During the night, the prejudiced police patrol group comprised completely of white males were lead by patrolman Krauss in murdering 3 black men, and in physically and psychologically torturing 7 black men and 2 white women. As she has shown before in THE HURT LOCKER, Bigelow is a master at creating moments of extreme tension while making the audience feel uncomfortable. JASON BOURNE cinematographer Barry Ackroyd camera action turns frantic as Krauss and the rest start harassing the victims on the grounds that they look for a gun which in reality doesn't exist. Near the location, a black security guard named Melvin Dismukes who was working next to the motel rushed to defuse the tension. Shot like a horror movie, this hatred-filled engagement makes minutes seem like hours while we're exposed to a diminishing picture of race relations in America. Continue Reading... The ever-brilliant John Boyega played the afflicted Dismukes, who was morally tasked with the impossible: uniting the bigoted authority and the helpless victims to avoid further violence. On the other hand, the fictionalized Krauss was portrayed by a powerful Will Poulter, a highly racist policeman representing the very cause that started the riots in the first place. As the film struggles to contextualize the enormous amount of endless violence and sheer white supremacy in the 60s it demonstrates over the course of its plus 2-hour runtime, it is Bigelow's fearless and gripping telling of the Detroit murders that serve as a reminder of the painful side of the American black experience. Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Gerardo (Contributor) is a film student living in Philadelphia. He usually prefers independent and classic films, but he will watch anything in theaters. Click Here to check out Gerardo's Articles. Can a movie about Detroit, not filmed in Detroit represent the story of the riots of Detroit. I know, that's a mouth full, but before I even saw this movie, I was informed that the movie wasn't filmed in Detroit. This is a strange fact to me. It seems odd that they wouldn't want to film the movie in entirely in the city, or at least the suburbs of Michigan. Alright, I won't comment on this again, just keep in mind that while you're watching this movie, thats Boston, not Detroit. Now, we already know this movie will have some award buzz. The movie will more that likely be nominated, I'm not sure it should be, but I see the point people will make. At this time, this movie is vitally important. I'm not sure we could do without this movie, now more than ever. Continue Reading... The movie itself is good. The drama is there and you feel the emotions that is going on, on the screen, and with the actors. The movie makes you feel what it was like during the actual riots. If you know someone who may have lived through the riots, then you may want to bring them with you. They may even feel more emotion, having lived through it. Make sure you stay after the movie for the real facts of the Detroit riots. It is worth your time to take a read, and maybe even look it up after. Rating: 3 out of 5 Billy (Editor) - Billy has seen many movies over the years. He enjoys comedies and anything action, including the summer blockbuster movies. You can follow Billy on Twitter here.Click Here to check out Billy's Articles. Detroit follows the multi-day racially motivated riot that took place in 1967 Detroit, Michigan. As racial tension grew due to more and more people being crammed into a growing and overly populated city, the people of Detroit began to rebel and incite one of the largest riots in US history. As a result of the civil unrest, city and state police as well as the National Guard began to patrol the streets which eventually led to the tragic event of police brutally against the 12 young people that happened at the Algiers motel. The film opens up with a brief history lesson on what led the tension to manifest into the riots starting with the slave trade all the way to how the Great Migration of the early 20th century led to overcrowding. I thought the director did a great job with starting off this way because it gave more insight as to why the people of Detroit were willing to burn down and rebel against their city. Shortly after the history lesson, Detroit moves into the actual riots themselves starting with a scene were police shut down a hidden party and start taking the party goers who were not bothering anyone around them to be arrested. People who noticed what was going on started to argue and throw objects at the police and the hostility only grows from there over the next few days. There are slur words thrown around loosely, buildings being burned down, looting, arrests and even killings as the rioting continues. Continue Reading... I think it is worth noting that during the first 30 minutes to an hour of the film that showed how bad the rioting reached, there is no real main character or group of people that the movie blatantly focuses on. At first I was slightly confused as some people would be shown more than others but they did not share their names or their back story during that time which made it seem more like a loosely based documentary. Later when I did learn some of the characters' names and backgrounds I realized that the director did that to show that everyone was involved in the riot one way or another (even if they did not want to be) and that Detroit had become a place of such unrest that it was hard to know who was going to make it home at night. When the film gets to the Algiers motel it causes an uneasy feeling even though at first the motel is filled with young adults looking to stay safe from the curfew and still manage to have fun with people their age. There are some laughs to be had during the beginning parts of the inside of the motel because of this. When the film moves on to the starter pistol being fired in the motel and the police thinking it was a sniper instead of a young man trying to make joke, my heart sank because I knew the danger that was to come. When the police arrived to the hotel it became a place of pure fear because of the authority and power that became a sick evil in two of the cops as they could not find a real gun and did not want to look like fools because of the uproar they had caused. The cops unleashed humiliation, brutal beatings and death after because they did not want to look bad and abused their power which left viewers with a gut wrenching uneasy feeling because how could people treat anyone like that. It also seems to last forever which I think the director did a good job causing that feeling because you can only imagine how minutes in there felt like hours for the 12 people that went through that night. The film also includes the trial that occurred as a result of the Algiers motel incident and even though I knew the verdict, I felt like I was watching a parallel of what still happens to this day. This year marks 50 years since the riots and what happened in the Algiers motel and I think the director, the writers and the actors all did an excellent job of bringing a part of American history to the big screen. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Ashley (Senior Contributor) is an Orlando native who loves watching movies. Her favorite genres include comedies, thrillers and sci-fi. Click Here to check out Ashleys's Articles.
