Detroit (2017) / Drama-Thriller

MPAA Rated: R for strong violence and pervasive language
Running Time: 143 min.

Cast: Algee Smith, John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie, Jacob Latimore, Ben O'Toole, Jack Reynor, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, John Krasinski, Nathan Davis Jr., Peyton 'Alex' Smith, Malcolm David Kelley
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Screenplay: Mark Boal
Review published September 27, 2017

Director Kathryn Bigelow, collaborating with favorite screenwriter Mark Boal (who penned her The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, takes on the challenge of crafting a drama based on the true events of one particular tragedy that occurred during the 'race riots' (aka, the 12th Street Riot) in Detroit, in July, 1967.  Boal used the facts of the case that had been brought out from court records as well as personal interviews with survivors involved to construct the dramatized encapsulation of events for the narrative.  It's less ambiguous than their previous efforts, starting with an animated sequence which tackles head-on the reasons why largely African-American communities exist in the inner cities of places like Detroit and why they are patrolled mostly from outside police officers to deal with issues there, particularly from a resentful and disdainful point of view.  From there, though Bigelow and Boal don't paint one side as saints, they definitely know in which sides the sins are being committed, and which side suffers as a result of those sins.

The riots and looting were sparked by the mostly white police force coming into a predominantly black neighborhood in order to infiltrate a nightclub operating without a license (also called a "blind pig"), which ended up with yet another incident of police aggression and harassment in the area that has seemingly gone on unchecked.  The bulk of Bigelow's film concentrates on the Algiers Motel incident, which which a group of black men, and two white women, end up having a terrifying night while being interrogated by several white police officers and members of the military.  The methods of interrogation includes beatings, and the horrifying deaths of those who refused to comply to the request of the authorities to produce a gun that they believed had been used to shoot at them.

Unflinching and unnerving, Bigelow paints a scenario of cops gone amok, trying to preserve justice in a community they aren't a part of, and seem far too racist to value.  Though dramatized, the events have a natural feel to them that does make for a particularly harrowing viewing, which will likely conflict many viewers' sympathies as to how they feel about the use of force they see in front of them, perhaps even challenging their own notions of prejudice and view that the cops are always right in these situations.  Or that the cops might also engage in criminality themselves in the pursuit of nabbing criminals, particularly ones they don't like.  It's also troubling because these issues that occur between white cops and the African-Americans they interrogate continue to result in injury and death, even fifty years after the events in Detroit we're witnessing on the screen.

The film has no central star, relying on an ensemble cast that concentrates on certain key people involved.  One group happens to be a couple of members of the then up-and-coming Soul group, The Dramatics, who are on the verge of getting noticed by record producers in front of the crowds at the Fox Theater in Detroit, the home of the Motown Sound.  Alas, the venue is shut down prior to them taking the stage, resulting in lead performer Larry Smith and backup talent Freddie Temple staying at the aforementioned Algiers Motel, a hotspot for prostitutes, until the rioting blows over.  That's also where someone pulls out a starter pistol and (jokingly) aims and fires it toward the nearby National Guard units stationed there, who are actively looking for snipers taking potshots at them.  The police investigate, and begin their intense and highly illegal shakedown of the potential perps, fueled by fear, anger and disdain for the race of the individuals they are questioning.

Those police are also spotlighted.  In particular, officer Philip Krauss, who we meet earlier in the film getting shooting at a looter in his back as he's running away from stealing groceries, so we know he has little compulsion to squeeze the trigger if he thinks suspects aren't complying with his orders.  Add to this the presence of two white girls at the motel, further raising the ire among the white law enforcement officers that can't bear the thought of interracial coupling going on in their midst.  Death threats emerge, epithets are strewn about liberally, some false executions as well, in their ploy to get one of the suspects to confess to a criminal act they all vehemently deny having any knowledge of all along.

Strong performances flesh out roles that aren't afforded a great deal of screen time due to the ensemble nature of the piece.  John Boyega is strong playing Melvin,  a security guard with enough savvy to know what the racist white officers are capable of, and how to deal with them to make sure they don't cross the line without purpose. Will Poulter undergoes a complete transformation with an intense and deadly serious role that is fascinating to observe for all of his flawed reasoning to commit the acts he does in the name of justice, though we don't get enough sense of his motivation for doing what he does from scene to scen, or why he seems to have a great deal of pent-up animosity that seems bursting to unleash on those he finds power over.

Detroit is an intense, occasionally overbearing drama that plays out like a dark and grim thriller, though it is hampered somewhat by a lack of focus on a core theme that might drive it home, as well as an excessive length; it doesn't need to be driven to epic proportions, even if the drama is weighty. The most unnerving aspect of this very unsettling film is that, though fifty years have past since these incendiary events, the headlines of today are still full of tragic incidents between the police and African-American suspects, particularly in how the justice system seems to perpetually favor one over the other in ways that crush the spirit of many, if not snuff out their desire to be a member of society altogether. 

If there is a part of the film I wish could have been shored up, its in the emotional content.  Certainly, it's uncomfortable to see much of the behavior displayed by the policemen in this film, enough to elicit anger in some of the worst of it.  For as tense as Bigelow keeps the film, there is still a level of disconnect we have between ourselves and the characters we should feel the most for, perhaps because there is quite a bit of time afforded to the law enforcement officers and their conspiring to control the situation that they themselves have stoked to incendiary levels.  The film also continue into a final act in the court system that either feels too abbreviated to get much drama out of, or perhaps not as necessary or immediate as what came before, leaving the momentum of the film feeling less passionate.  While it's interesting from a historical standpoint, the outrage that comes with the final verdict just makes justice seem like it's not blind, but more like its deaf and dumb when it comes to African-Americans who want to see these officers pay for what they've done.

While the film may fall short of the heights delivered in Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker, there's plenty of potency within Detroit to spark thought and conversation on the matter on the imbalance among races in this country, and in the justice provided, or lack thereof, to those who continue to feel intimidated and oppressed.  So long as racist law enforcement officers feel like there won't be any consequences to violating the civil rights of minorities, including murder under the guise of self defense, these kinds of stories may not cease any time soon.

Qwipster's rating:

©2017 Vince Leo