Detroit: An Important Story but Shaky in Execution

John Boyega as Delvin Dismukes in Detroit.

If Dunkirk showed the best of humanity in the worst of times, Detroit explores how low the level of inhumanity can get. From Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), brings us of one of the worst riots in U.S. history in Detroit.  Racial tensions explode both figuratively and literally with buildings burning in blazes, looters running left and right, law enforcement trying to maintain the peace and racists seeing an opportunity to take matters into their own hands.

Based on true events, the story focuses on what happened at the Algiers hotel during the time of the riots, when a gun shot is heard on the premises and the savage interrogation that took place leaving three black men dead. Bigelow doesn’t hold back on portraying the horrendous level of racial prejudice, police brutality and injustice that happened on that night as you feel the authenticity of the setting and time period in the eyes of Delvin Dismukes (John Boyega) a security guard who witnesses the incident and its tragic aftermath. Unfortunately, it pains me to say this but it’s not enough as the film is dragged down with thin characterization, and a runtime that began to drag in the third act. It’s a by-the-numbers historical flick that while impactful in many scenes perhaps it would have been as a documentary or mini-series allowing for more time to develop characters and focus on the story than cramming it all in at a two and a half hour mark.

It’s well-casted no doubt with standouts including Algee Smith (Earth to Echo) as Larry Reed, an aspiring singer looking for his big break, Jacob Latimer (The Maze Runner) as his friend Fred Temple and Will Poulter (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) as Phillip Krause prejudice and intimidating cop. I wished Smith and Latimer got top billing cause the reason they stood out along with Poulter is that we spend more time with them making them more developed than anyone character in the film. Other characters you think will play a role are gone the next moment, don’t do much, or appear randomly out of nowhere.

It doesn’t reach the heights of Fruitvale Station but Detroit deserves to be seen and continue to have stories like this told, in an age where racial tension, police brutality and injustice continues for many families today.