Detroit marvellously tackles the taboo of civil unrest in the US making it a shoo-in for a gong at the Oscars
Director Kathryn Bigelow has done it again with her attention to detail and fantastic casting
KATHRYN BIGELOW has never been one to shy away from important stories.
She tackled the capture of Bin Laden and the PTSD consequences of Iraqi for goodness sake.
In Detroit she does the same — picking an uncomfortable subject we’d rather not acknowledge and prises our eyes open till we take notice.
Set in the summer of 1967, this tells the true story of the civil unrest and rioting that nearly destroyed the city.
These riots lead police to investigate some gunshots heard at the Algiers hotel, where a horrific investigation gets under way, led by extremely bent police whose only concern is getting a confession and not the wellbeing of the dozen people they have held for questioning.
This film is to the Detroit riots what the Stones’ Gimme Shelter was to Vietnam — a piece of art crammed with brooding danger, menace and dread.
It’s these feelings, alongside some incredible performers, that glue the whole film together and make it one of the most important films you’ll see this year.
Bigleow’s hardest task in this film was to take a huge, sprawling event and help us viewers focus on a pinprick-sized story without losing any sense of the bigger picture and the stakes at play.
We begin flitting through the streets, with hundreds of people watching the police and National Guard reach bursting point.
Even after the touchpaper is lit we still manage to maintain a sense of the perspective, despite the action being limited to one hotel corridor.
As a routine investigation suddenly goes horribly, horribly wrong, you’ll be screaming at the screen for justice.
The oppression and menace is suffocating.
Even treated as a simple period piece it’s wonderful — from the replication of a Motown revue gig to the politics of teenagers at the beginning of a sexual revolution via the determination to shatter racism rife throughout the nation.
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But Detroit would be little without it’s standout ensemble cast.
None really get enough time to be classed as the stars, you cannot help but tip your hat to Will Poulter.
His performance as Philip Krauss (a fictional policeman based on several real-life characters) is horribly compelling and further cements his status as one of Britain’s finest character actors.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Will are Algee Smith, Jack Reynor (last seen in the criminally underrated Sing Street) and Hannah Murray, breaking free of her Game Of Thrones shackles.
Where others would go for the easy route, all bang, bluster and shouting, Detroit leaves you in the emotional aftermath of an inevitable sequence of events.
Whilst you never sympathise with the “bad guys”, you certainly understand how one cock-up, when not dealt with head-on, can snowball into complete disaster.
With a slightly (and probably intentional) meandering and confusing first act, Detroit becomes the most brutal and, with the ink still wet on events in Virginia, hugely relevant movie this year.
Hard-hitting, impeccably delivered cinema at its best. A shoo-in for the Oscars.
Detriot (15) 95 mins - FILM OF THE WEEK
Rating: ★★★★★
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