STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (2015) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - F. Gary Gray 

Written by - Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus

Starring - O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti

"The story of the group NWA , that rose to prominence from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles to revolutionize hip-hop culture in the mid-80s with their music and tales of life in the hood. 

Competently performed by its strong cast and confidently directed by F. GARY GRAY , for the most part, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON represents the kind of films that fans of the hip-hop culture with a particular interest on its pioneering days would have been waiting for. Its flashy and furious editing style is driven by the great songs that compose its sountrack. On top of that, the film does not refrain from showing the gritty and less amiable side of its story, such as the unrestrained depiction of the gang-like tactics and behaviours employed by the record labels. 

Even the much criticized lack of examination of the culture's mysogyny, unaided by the fact that there is no satisfactory female voice in the story, may initially seem politically incorrect, but is simply a true reflection of a one of hip-hop's sorriest facts. 

The final act, however, is far from remarkable. This is mostly because it suffers from the usual problem that affects many music biographies that, in order to be able to use the names of their subjects and even use the songs for the soundtrack, must often make sure that their right-holders come off smelling like roses. Thus, its ending rather selfishly seems to represent an awkwardly composed way to sanctify NWA's legacy, especially that of DR. DRE , ICE CUBE and EAZY-E , that is totally unnecessary and leaves a bad taste in the viewer's mouth."

Biopic, USA