‘Speak a little truth and people lose their minds…’
It’s a mystery as to why it has taken me so long to see the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton. I find that era of hip-hop to be both fascinating and incendiary and yet almost half a decade has gone by since the film was first released. And believe me, I have watched some dross in that time…
Music biopics are all the rage at the moment with Rocket Man and Bohemian Rhapsody both scoring big at the box office (neither of which I have any intention of watching). I think it is the fawning re-writing of history that enable those films to work that puts me off, and while there is an element of that in Straight Outta Compton, the story is so wild, so unique, that it can be left pretty much intact and remain cinematic.
Easy-E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and Dr Dre (Corey Hawkins) form the basis of groundbreaking rap group N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton follows their rise from street hustlers to worldwide superstars – all under the watchful eye of their manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti).
First off, this is one of the best performances by an ensemble cast in the last decade. Each member of N.W.A is perfectly captured and rendered with Cube portrayed with an eerie precision by his son and every other member of the group brought to life in a way that almost feels like a documentary more than a film. Jason Mitchell is a revelation as Easy-E, both in his early days as leader of the group, down to his downfall after contracting the AIDs virus and losing his wealth. Elsewhere, Giamatti captures both sides of the music industry as Jerry Heller – a man who was either an opportunistic thief or an avuncular pioneer, depending on who you’re talking to. R. Marcus Taylor also captures the physical presence and looming violence that defines Suge Knight – the man who would eventually contribute to the demise of both N.W.A and Ruthless Records.
Straight Outta Compton works because this is a story worth telling, a story that doesn’t need to be embellished or changed to make it worthwhile. Mostly, it is a story of raw genius and great music. If you haven’t already seen it, don’t wait half a decade like I did.