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As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews.
TODAY’S CRITIC: Lafronda Stumn
Lafronda Stumn is a student at Madisonville Community College and intends to graduate with an Associate's degree in Associate of the Arts. She plans on earning a Bachelors Degree in Motion Picture Studies and English at Wright State University. Her favorite Directors are Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Spike Lee, and her favorite actors are Al Pacino, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Halle Berry. Lafronda contacted this page looking for a place to get published and I enjoy giving people that very kind of opportunity. This is her 34th guest review for Every Movie Has a Lesson. Welcome as always, Lafronda!
HER REVIEW: Detroit
Kathryn Bigelow is one of the best directors working right now, dating back to her debut 1987 vampire film Near Dark. She added the 1995 underrated sci-fi film, Strange Days, about technology and psychoanalysis. Following her two great war films The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty comes Detroit. The film takes place in 1967 during the racial riots that involved an incident from a toy gun that lead to many a tragedy of the many black males who were terrorized by the police, In particular the head racist honcho Krauss (Wil Poulter).
There are several Black males being held hostage and two white females who visited them to hang out, flirt and talk which lead a toy gun being shot and someone from out side hearing the noise and calling the police that lead Krauss to spend some long hours terrorizing and killing a few of the men for a weapon that never existed.
There is a Black officer named Dismukes (John Boyega) who does nothing and aides in Krauss and the other officers to spend over many hours harassing and a making threat. One of the Black men being confronted is Algee Smith’s character Larry Reed. At the time, the young man dreamt of stardom singing a R&B group. That success was interrupted uring a raid of Black people at a local club by the police.after performing at a stage event.
Several scenes that stand out. One is when one of the officers harass one of the white girls named Karent (Kaitlyn Dever) in another room Karen and questions why would she consider dating outside of her race. Another key scene is when Larry attempts to sing for a music producer, but seeing someone triggers his emotions. There is a very disturbing scene where Krauss tells a fellow officer to take one of the Black men and coerce to admitting a crime. The decision the officer makes leads to a tragedy.
The cinematography is well lit inside of the interrogation rooms and filled with grainy, dark hues of the people that convey the tension and fear of the many faces. The editors and the direction of Bigelow do a great job of cutting to the scene of tension between the officers and the victims of the police. Algee Smith gives the best performance of the man who is torn between his love of being famous versus the harm of the incident. Will Poulter, in a thankless role, is truly righting as Krauss. His performance was so authentic, you feel that Poulter was not acting. He’s the real deal.
I do wish there was Black female representation in this film. Those Black males did have girlfriends, sisters, mothers and I would have liked to see how the Black females were affected by the trauma. After the incident, I would’ve like to see another 30 minutes of the home lives of the Black men and their significant others. This is an epic story that deserves more of an epic representation.
Despite this flaw, Detroit is a gritty, realistic portrayal of police brutality that is still an issue today. The brutalizing of Black Americans still exists in 2021. We have along way to go in dealing with police brutality, and reaching justice for the many Black and brown people who are being marginalized in this cruel and ruthless world that we live in.
RATING: *** 1/2
CONCLUSION
Thank you again, Lafronda! You are welcome anytime. Friends, if you see a movie that I don't see and want to be featured on my website, hit up my website's Facebook page and you can be my next GUEST CRITIC!
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