Straight Outta Compton

Theatrical Release Date: 2015 08 14 (USA)

UPC: 025192267437

Studio: Universal Studios

Summary: Entrenched in the racial tumult of Los Angeles in the mid-1980's, a group of aspiring rappers banded together to revolutionize the global consumption of hip-hop and popular culture. NWA was born out of racial frustration and the disadvantaged economics of their South Central neighborhood. F. Gary Gray directs this biopic about the rise to stardom for the act that earned the moniker of "The World's Most Dangerous Group", featuring Ice Cube's son O'Shea Jackson Jr. playing the role of his father, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, and Jason Mitchell as the late Eazy-E. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Category: Drama

Straight Outta Compton

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Daniel Gelb

In the late 1980s, five young men from Compton, CA, kicked off a seismic shift in popular music. Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, and DJ Yella, jointly known as N.W.A., were catalysts for the explosive popularity of hip-hop culture in America. While their time as a functioning collective was short-lived, their brash, confrontational debut LP had an impact on the gangster-rap genre that is still being felt today. Director F. Gary Gray tells the story of the group's rise to fame and subsequent splintering in the engrossing Straight Outta Compton.

Gray begins with the backstory of the three most well-known members of N.W.A.: Eazy, Cube, and Dre. Eric "Eazy-E" Wright (Jason Mitchell) is deeply involved in the drug trade in South Central Los Angeles. His success as a dope dealer has brought him a huge sum of money, but Eazy knows that his life expectancy as a slinger is dangerously short. O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson (played by his own son, O'Shea Jackson Jr.) is a high-school student with a keen eye regarding his troubled surroundings. He carries around notebooks of lyrics, constantly jotting down new rhymes that reflect the unforgiving streets of Compton. Andre "Dr. Dre" Young (Corey Hawkins) is an unemployed dropout who spends his days honing his already impressive DJ skills, scratching funk and soul records and manipulating beats to create a distinctive sound. Along with mutual friends MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.), the five men begin to collaborate on their music.

N.W.A. start playing shows to increasingly large crowds in the Los Angeles area, and eventually draw the attention of music manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti). Eazy and Heller soon forge a business deal, establishing a partnership that would last for years and lead to nearly all of the disputes between members of the N.W.A. The manager facilitates a deal for the group with Priority Records, and they begin work on their seminal debut album, Straight Outta Compton. The record is a massive success, catapulting the group into the public eye with their "reality rap" gangster image, brutal lyrics, and controversial cuts like "Gangsta Gangsta" and "F. tha Police." They embark on a nationwide tour, facing opposition from local law enforcement at every juncture and even receiving a strongly worded letter from the FBI. However, money ultimately tears the tour apart: Eazy and Heller's partnership has left Cube, Dre, and the rest without any royalty payouts. Ice Cube quits the group to go solo, finding immediate success with the release of his debut record AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted in 1990. Dr. Dre follows suit a few years later, forming a partnership with controversial L.A. kingpin Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor) that leads to the creation of Death Row Records. The remaining members are left with Heller, causing the three factions to feud with each other via diss tracks and physical altercations. The group dynamic of the five men, once known for their unforgettable collaborations, gradually devolves into an ugly public dispute over money and street cred.

There is no shortage of narrative heft in Gray's biopic, but that shouldn't come as a surprise given the rich history of N.W.A. and the beefs between its ex-members. While the story might seem convoluted to rap neophytes, Straight Outta Compton remains compelling due to its brilliant cast. Mitchell harnesses the quirky charisma of Eazy-E, illuminating the screen with his presence; Jackson gives a measured and weighty portrayal of his father; and Hawkins is excellent as the oft-reserved Dr. Dre. For the second time this summer, Paul Giamatti takes on the role of a money-hungry manager, though his portrayal of Jerry Heller in Compton is less overtly malicious than his turn as Eugene Landy in Love & Mercy. Regardless, Giamatti is effective as the sneaky Heller, whose crooked contracts created tremendous strife among the group.

The finest moments of Straight Outta Compton come during the salad days of N.W.A., with all five members feeding off of each other's energy at live shows or inside the studio. There is no shortage of schmaltz in Compton, but these flashes of melodrama often give way to laugh-out-loud moments. Screenwriters Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff make us care about every member of N.W.A., paving the way for the emotional death of Eazy-E; he succumbs to AIDS in 1995 shortly after being diagnosed with the disease, just as he had made peace with Cube and Dre and they were entertaining the idea of a reunion.

Compton is careful not to demonize any one member of the group (save Heller), which shouldn't come as a surprise with Dre and Cube serving as producers on the film. Yet it's possible to wonder if a more brazen story ends up getting buried beneath the nearly two-and-a-half-hour run time: N.W.A. signaled a sea change in pop music, but their revolutionary fervor is mostly downplayed in the script. With that said, Straight Outta Compton gives moviegoers an effective glimpse inside one of the most important forces in music of the last 30 years. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Ice Cube  Producer 
Dr. Dre  Producer 
Adam Merims  Executive Producer 
F. Gary Gray  Director 
F. Gary Gray  Producer 
Jon Jashni  Executive Producer 
Matt Alvarez  Producer 
Scott Bernstein  Producer 
David Engel  Executive Producer 
Bill Straus  Executive Producer 
Andrea Berloff  Screenwriter 
Thomas Tull  Executive Producer 
Joseph Trapanese  Composer (Music Score) 
Tomica Woods  Producer 
Will Packer  Executive Producer 
Jonathan Herman  Screenwriter 
Corey Antonio Hawkins  Actor 
Jason Mitchell  Actor 
O'Shea Jackson, Jr.  Actor 
Aldis Hodge  Actor 
Neil Brown, Jr.  Actor 
Marlon Yates, Jr.  Actor 
Paul Giamatti  Actor 
Alexandra Shipp  Actor 
Elena Goode  Actor 
Keith Powers  Actor 
Carra Patterson  Actor 
R. Marcus Taylor  Actor 
Joshua Brockington  Actor 
Sheldon Smith  Actor 
LaKeith Stanfield  Actor 
Cleavon McClendon  Actor 
Aeriel Miranda  Actor 
Lisa Renee Pitts  Actor 
Angela Gibbs  Actor 
Bruce Beatty  Actor 
Rogelio Douglas, Jr.  Actor 
Corey Reynolds  Actor 
Tate Ellington  Actor 
F. Gary Gray  Actor 
Allen Maldonado  Actor 
Demetrius Grosse  Actor 
Andrew Borba  Actor 
Matt Corboy  Actor 
Larry Sullivan  Actor 
Deborah Lacey  Actor 
Michael "Compton Menace" Taylor  Actor 
Ashton Sanders  Actor 
Joshua Geter  Actor 
Kofi Siriboe  Actor 
Orlando Brown  Actor 
Matthew Boylan  Actor 
Chic Daniel  Actor 
Tim Connolly  Actor 
Cris D'Annunzio  Actor 
Dan Wells  Actor 
Justin Goslee  Actor 
Al Wexo  Actor 
Marcus Callender  Actor 
Vaughn Wilkinson  Actor 
Dean Cameron  Actor 
Mark Thomas Holguin  Actor 
Sky Soleil  Actor 
Inny Clemons  Actor 
Jody Burks  Actor 
Asia'h Epperson  Actor 
Scott Endicott  Actor 
Greg Collins  Actor 
Mark Sherman  Actor 
Rob Brownstein  Actor 
Marc Rose  Actor 
Water  Actor 
Nigel Lawes  Actor 
William LaDawn English  Actor 
Lazarus Guidry  Actor 
Ariel Rogers  Actor 
Lafrazia D. Knighten  Actor 
Ashley Stepteau  Actor 
Christian Brown  Actor 
Ebony Randall  Actor 
John Prosky  Actor 
Derrick McMillon  Actor 
A. Russell Andrews  Actor 
Le Sean Tarkington  Actor 
Rob Nagle  Actor 
Travis Nicholson  Actor 
Todd Quillen  Actor 
Matthew Downs  Actor 
Leo Stallworth  Actor 
Joy Benedict  Actor 
David L. Cox  Actor 
Thomas Q. Jones  Actor 
Toni Duclottni  Actor 
Phedra Syndelle  Actor 
Valerie Emanuel  Actor 
Spencer Melville  Actor 
Michael W. Broomer  Actor 
Zee James  Actor 
Natasha Hopkins  Actor 
Simon Rhee  Actor 

Country: USA