Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1869. Detroit (2017)

    1869. Detroit (2017)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on August 25, 2017 140-149 mins, 2017, Aug 17, Crime, Drama, History, Movies Of 2017, Review, United States
    7.5 Riveting, but not powerful
    • Acting 7.7
    • Directing 7.5
    • Story 7.2
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith

    Director: Kathryn Bigelow

    Running Time: 143 mins


    Detroit is an American film about the events that unfolded in the city of Detroit in the summer of 1967, when African-American citizens broke out in rioting and looting in protest of civil rights abuses, turning the city into a war zone, and pitting brutal police officers against innocent civilians.

    The Detroit riots were a terrifying series of events. Not only because of the large-scale violence that erupted in a major city, but because of the context that led up to it, consistent abuses of African-Americans’ civil rights that led to an explosion of frustration, bringing already strained race relations to an incredibly tense head.

    With that said, this film isn’t quite the perfect depiction of that. Although it eventually proves a fascinating detailing of the outcome of such important events, it takes a really long time to get to anything particularly passionate or truly riveting, and that’s what makes it a slightly underwhelming watch for a long period.

    It’s a trend that you can see through a number of Kathryn Bigelow’s films, building a historically interesting (albeit not so emotionally exhilarating), background for a more passionate and ultimately exhilarating finale. Zero Dark Thirty is a little bit of a drag before its final act, and The Hurt Locker fluctuates between pure drama and simply pure history.

    With that said, the opening of Detroit isn’t all that bad. Quickly landing you in the chaos of the city in the moments that the unrest erupts, Bigelow gives you a good sense of what’s at stake on a wider scale, before launching into the more specific events that the film chooses to detail.

    However, that’s where things start to fall a little flat for Detroit. For one, despite centring on a more specific set of events, the film really lacks clarity, and it’s that that makes it a lot harder to be truly invested in. Despite understanding the wider background of racial tensions in the period, it’s difficult to understand exactly why the specific events you’re watching are happening.

    In part, that definitely comes down to the fact that the film doesn’t have a main character for the most part, switching between various characters in the opening act, before they all converge in the same place. As a result, there’s no real emotional centre to grab onto when the spectre of racism and injustice becomes a lot more personal in the film’s middle act, making what should be a powerful and pulsating centrepiece a lot more underwhelming than you’d expect.

    Unfortunately, the film doesn’t really manage to recognise the issue, leaving for a near hour-long middle act to really drag on instead of instil the sense of terror and pure injustice that should be at the very centre of a truly horrifying event. Although well-directed by Bigelow and featuring strong performances across the board, the film’s middle act just isn’t that strong, and the fact that it’s set up as such a huge centrepiece to the entire movie makes it feel all the more disappointing.

    With that said, it does at least set the stage for a fascinating and finally passionate finale, in which we see the main players from the events of the second act being investigated by the justice system, and it’s a chance for you to get really emotionally engaged in the story, as you want to see the villains of the story get their comeuppance and see justice done, even though it may seem difficult in an era where such brutal racism was so unfortunately commonplace.

    Overall, I did like Detroit. It does take a very long time to get into the right frame of mind, failing to really grab you on an emotional level that’s necessary to portray the importance of the historical events, but it comes on very strong in the end, whilst consistently impressive performances from the entire cast and strong directing from start to finish make it an engaging, albeit not quite so hard-hitting, historical drama, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.5.

     

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.3
    Review
    August 10, 20140

    652. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

    8.1
    Review
    November 9, 20190

    2744. The Nightingale (2019)

    8.0
    Review
    August 25, 20200

    3067. The Karate Kid (1984)

    8.0
    Review
    November 13, 20160

    1547. My Week With Marilyn (2011)

    8.0
    Review
    September 9, 20140

    684. Chico And Rita (2010)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.