Straight Outta Compton Review

Straight Outta Compton effectively tells the story of one of the greatest and most influential rap groups of all time: NWA. It chronicles the rise and fall of the group, as well as the controversy surrounding them.

While I am not the closest follower of the group, I do enjoy their work a lot, as well as the other rappers of the late eighties and nineties. So I greatly enjoyed the feel of the movie, and it's soundtrack very much. But I think that there are plenty of things in here for people who don't like their music as well.

The movie's cast of mostly unknown actors are great at portraying the members of NWA. They all look like their respective characters (Ice Cube is played by the son of the real Ice Cube), and for the most part act like them very well. Paul Giamati also gives a good performance as their manager. Throughout the movie, he rips off the members of the group, but at the same time you get an idea that he still cares for them.

This movie never feels boring at any point in its lengthy two and a half hour run-time. It has a driving plot, which shows their fast-paced lives, and has a thriving energy throughout. There are a few sequences of the racial profiling that their songs have spoken out against, which are upsetting, and do a good job of justifying the controversial nature of their music. There are also a few emotional sequences that contrast with the group's violent persona, and are interesting to watch.

I went to see this movie with my roommate. He is a foreign exchange student from Norway, and says that he had never heard of NWA. However, when we got back, he told me to turn on some of their music. I think that it is great how a very well-done movie like this can have such an impact on people.

4.5 out of 5 stars