'Detroit' REVIEW: Kathryn Bigelow brings us a brutal, high-impact dramatization of the Detro

'Detroit' is brought to us by Kathryn Bigelow who has directed films such as Point Break (1991), Strange Days (1995) and K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) as well as award winning films such as The Hurt Locker (2009) and Zero Dark Thirty (2013). With this film I had the pleasure of having an early screening of it in Melbourne, Australia with the stars of the film. Will Poulter and Anthony Mackie were there to introduce the film and it was a pleasure listening to them. I have admired Kathryn Bigelow's films for a while even though the only films I've seen are Point Break and The Hurt Locker. I was initially excited for the film because of it was directed by her as well as having a first-rate cast at the helm. Once again, Kathryn Bigelow has brought another Oscar-worthy film that's sure to push people's buttons.

'Detriot' is a face-based drama that is set during the 1967 Detroit riots. The film focuses on three perspective during this one terrible night in Detroit were misunderstandings occurred at a motel, Melvin Dismukes (played by John Boyega), a private security guard hired to protect a grocery store, Larry Reed (played by Algee Smith), an R&B singer and a member of The Dramatics and Philip Krauss (played by Will Poulter) a rogue police officer with a racist agenda.

This is a great film. Not Bigelow's best, but still great. As this is a film that is based on true facts and as with all of Kathryn Bigelow's films, the city of Detroit is depicted in such a way that is super realistic from the aesthetics and the strong performances from the main leads. The documentary style handheld camerawork adds greatly to the realism and it does immerse you into the film's claustrophobic environment. I really did feel the fear on regular people's eyes and understood how life in that city can be total chaos. The performances in this film are some of the most powerful performances that I've seen in a Kathryn Bigelow film as of late, especially with Algee Smith and Will Poulter. Smith's character, Larry Reed is someone who's a little more higher class than the rest of the African-American folks and just want to survive the night. It was just an inconvenience for him and his friend Fred Temple (played by Jacob Latimore) to be at that motel when riots are still happening around them and you'll feel deeply sorry for him by the end of the film. But, Will Poulter's character is the highlight of this film. For an actor who I thought initially looked too childish looking to be playing a rogue cop in the film, he was scary, intimidating and ruthless in his execution of trying to make civilians speak up. He was great overall and was more than just a one-note racist policeman. While John Boyega's character isn't prominent to the main plot at hand, he was also great as usual.

The main issues that I have with the film are usual with other Kathryn Bigelow films is that they do tend to feel more like documentaries than actual films. Scenes may be a little too drawn out for their own good, especially at the beginning where it does take a while to introduce its main characters and sets-up the city as a dangerous place. The violence in this film is brutal at times and may bother some, but it will leave a lasting impression on you as it did with myself. I did wish that John Boyega's character had more to do in this film, but he was clearly there to be the one African-American authority figure that other African-American civilians would be more comfortable with at times of crisis.

On the whole, 'Detroit' is another awards worthy film that people are going to relate to greatly as it is well shot and supremely acted. The style and the high impact violence may turn off some people and might even get them angry, but I believe that was the film's objective.

'Detroit' gets an A-