I grew up in Detroit. I grew up in a house ten miles from the Algiers Motel. I grew up in Detroit in the aftermath of the riots. So I have been patiently waiting for the film Detroit to hit theaters. Growing up in Detroit, the riots were never far from our minds. Ten years after the riots (which were in 1967), we were still talking about it. We were still licking wounds. The scars were as physical as emotional, as burned out buildings stood as stalwart reminders of the turbulence. We escaped to the near suburbs of Detroit when I was fourteen. But I carry with me a love for Detroit that is hard to explain to outsiders. Even though, in many ways, I was an outsider myself during those tense years.
I try to avoid reviews (particularly spoiler laden reviews) before I see a film. But I often read about any drama surrounding the film itself. In this case, I read one article that discussed Kathryn Bigelow as the director. Some noise was generated around her being a white director taking on a sensitive black topic. Or something along those lines. I have really enjoyed her work, particularly Zero Dark Thirty which had criticism of its own. My favorite film of hers was Hurt Locker which seems to be the film that catapulted Jeremy Renner's career (deservedly so). Based on her body of work, I had little concern going into this film.
Detroit is not an examination of the circumstances that led to rioting in many cities across America during the late 1960s, although a quick storyboard primer is offered at the outset of the film. Instead, the broader issues are condensed to events that transpired at a Detroit hotel, the Algiers Motel, in the midst of rioting. It examines tension between police and the community that led to the deaths of three teenagers at the hands of police. The film reconstructs events based on witness testimony, evidence and reporting from that time period. It offers a perspective of what happened, but is left to fill in the details based on conjecture. What actually happened that night remains uncertain. Although police excess is not one of those uncertainties.
The film features some familiar faces and a few that I did not recognize. You may recognize John Boyega from Star Wars among other films. Boyega stars as a security guard who unwittingly finds himself complicit in the murders. Will Poulter offers up an interesting antagonist as a corrupt police officer. I am not a fan of his work, but recognize him from The Revenant. Jason Mitchell, who cracked me up in Keanu, is the instigator in Detroit. I love Kaitlyn Dever in the television series Last Man Standing. She plays witness to the events as a (prostitute?) who is staying at the hotel when the police become unhinged. The most recognizable face in the film is Antony Mackie, who seems to be in everything lately. There were many others, but no performances stood out to me. With a cast like that, this film should have been a lot tighter.
I think my problem with this film is Kathryn Bigelow. I hate to say it. It's not because of any racial disconnect. It is an artistic disconnect. Overall, the story was decent. A lot of research went into recreating events. But there were a lot of distractions for me. First of all, for a linear story, this one seemed disjointed at times. Choppy. A 143 minute film should be anything but choppy. The camera work was distracting at times, too. You shouldn't be thinking about the camera when you are watching a movie. The first person perspective of the camera was abrupt at times. I did not like the effect at all. It wasn't always noticeable. But when it was, I got irritated. More than once.
The characters were okay, given that there were a lot of characters that needed some depth. There was some depth achieved. The scene that captures the crux of the story was unnecessarily elongated. It was exhausting. She may say she did that on purpose. I don't care, it was overdone. She could have cut ten minutes or more from this film and no one would know the difference. Lastly, the dialogue was a bit stilted at times. It was okay on the whole. But there was awkward phrasing at times. Maybe even forced.
With that summary, you might think I would give this film a thumbs down. I don't. The broader story is good. It is based on true events. And it stayed as close to the story as possible, given the circumstances. I also liked that Bigelow tied the story up at the end with something promising. She gave us a reward. The church is often a cultural hub that offers hope. The film gives us an amazing gospel vocal as it nears the end. The vocal coming from one of the characters impacted by the events, finding his solace (maybe even renewal) in a small local church. This is truth. From the actual events as well as life in general. It may have been an allegory for healing, which maybe we still need. It was subtle, but it was a hopeful way to end a dark story. A small piece of redemption. For the characters as well as the audience. In retrospect, the nuisances of this film balance against a good story that was often tense and ultimately rewarding. I would give Detroit a respectable 7/10. You can wait for it on video and not miss anything important.
Photos and video courtesy of Annapurna Pictures.
