Not the most exciting
biopic ever made,
but undeniably
solid
but undeniably
solid
with some great
performances.
*I do not wish to trivialise the horror and significance of the actual shooting of Oscar Grant with this review, I am merely critiquing the film on it's own terms.
Micheal B. Jordan is an actor for whom I've held some interest for a while. I have not seen The Wire, however I have been told repeatedly that I should, and that he is great in it. I have however seen Chronicle, an excellent found-footage sci-fi film with wonderful performances from all it's main cast, including Jordan. I watched this film because I was curious to see the man in an acclaimed starring role, and he did not disappoint.
Although I do feel that this film is slightly overrated, the leading performance is not. Jordan is realistic, believable and engrossing here and although I would still not call this a career making performance, it was certainly impressive. The film should really be seen as a showcase for Jordan above anything else, for he is really the element that holds things together. Although the other acting in the film is fairly good in it's own right, the only other performance I feel is worth singling out as great was Octavia Spencer as Oscar's mother. She brings a lot of gravity to her scenes and was also very believable The best scenes in the film were the exchanges between these two actors, and I am interested in seeing Spencer's lauded role in The Help after being impressed here.
The film is shot simply and has a forgettable soundtrack. It was clear that it only had a small budget, however I was disappointing by how underwhelming these elements were. Aside from a nice tracking shot here and there, I do not remember a thing about how the film looked or sounded.
Outside of the acting however, I would best describe this film as a theatrical reconstruction of events rather than a full biopic. It is a fairly dry, by the books account of what happened during the last 24 hours of this man's life rather than a biopic with a particular stance on events. You can probably judge whether you'd like this film or not based on that, however for it me it simply wasn't quite enough. The film didn't offer any particularly interesting insights in my opinion, and did nothing to comment on the larger issues which were related to the shooting of Oscar Grant, such as police brutality or racism within law enforcement. Some may appreciate this approach, however I desired something more poignant.
In conclusion, this film underwhelmed me. Although the acting was good, I did not feel like much talent was expressed by director Ryan Coogler and found this film quite forgettable, although undeniably competent.
The film is shot simply and has a forgettable soundtrack. It was clear that it only had a small budget, however I was disappointing by how underwhelming these elements were. Aside from a nice tracking shot here and there, I do not remember a thing about how the film looked or sounded.
Outside of the acting however, I would best describe this film as a theatrical reconstruction of events rather than a full biopic. It is a fairly dry, by the books account of what happened during the last 24 hours of this man's life rather than a biopic with a particular stance on events. You can probably judge whether you'd like this film or not based on that, however for it me it simply wasn't quite enough. The film didn't offer any particularly interesting insights in my opinion, and did nothing to comment on the larger issues which were related to the shooting of Oscar Grant, such as police brutality or racism within law enforcement. Some may appreciate this approach, however I desired something more poignant.
In conclusion, this film underwhelmed me. Although the acting was good, I did not feel like much talent was expressed by director Ryan Coogler and found this film quite forgettable, although undeniably competent.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
A Zoom Film Review
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