A music biopic telling the story of the formation of
influential rap group N.W.A. The film begins in Compton with the character of
Eric Wright, a.k.a. Eazy-E. For non-fans there are helpful introductory texts
to tell you who you should be recognizing as they appear on screen. Eazy is
involved with low-level drug-dealing and it is a bold opening scene, loaded
with tension, as he has guns pointed at him and ends up running from the
police. We also meet Andre "Dre" Young, a talented DJ who is earning
a pittance working at a local club alongside his friend DJ Yella. Dre has one
of the most emotional stories throughout as his wife, daughter, mother and
brother, provide a lot of the motivation for his success. Together with O'Shea
"Ice Cube" Jackson, these young men come together to record what they
describe as "real life raps", talking about police violence, drug
dealing, and their lives in Compton. Eazy-E provides the capital and sets up
the label Ruthless Records, under which they release their first record. The
group become a huge success very quickly and are approached by Jerry Heller who
agrees to manage them. Things soon start to turn sour however as members of the
group start to believe they are being cheated out of money by their manager.
Ice Cube and Dr. Dre leave to start their own solo careers, either signing with
other labels or setting up their own.
The film is long but it does a great job of getting across a
lot of information. We see numerous deals being done, most of the interpersonal
relationships, and each character is given enough time to develop a personality
(although some are just hinted at). The film covers a period from 1986 up to
the early nineties and we see their highs and lows, the formation and
dissolution of the group, and even at the end something of a reunion as they
set aside their differences. F. Gary Gray's direction is solid throughout whether its party scenes or quieter moments. All the performances of the main cast are exceptional and you can feel their anger at the way they are treated. You also get a sense of the violent, hectic lifestyle they
were living. There is also a certain amount of social commentary. Later in the
film the assault of Rodney King by LAPD officers is repeatedly shown and it
gets across to the audience the world that they were growing up in, adding
context to their songs. I would definitely recommend this movie as a fun, music
biopic, even if you are not a fan of the group. There is a lot of emotion,
humour, and complexity in the various rivalries and spats to keep you hooked throughout. If you are a fan then this
is a fantastic tribute to this incredibly important group.
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