Detroit written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Rating *****
Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal continue with their impressive record of collaboration. Detroit starts out chaotic and frenzied as an incident involving police overreach sets everything in motion. For the first thirty minutes or so the story jumps around between riots, protestors, police, and looters. Even though these events took place fifty years ago, they echo events today.
The confusion and various storylines all come together at the Algiers Motel. Not knowing how much was fiction and how much was nonfiction, I started to think that the events portrayed at the Motel were exaggerated. It’s only later when actual footage from the scene and subsequent trial are shown that it becomes apparent that this really happened. It may not have played out exactly as it was shown, but the trial and testimony of witnesses lend credibility to the version portrayed.
I saw this film on AMC’s $5 Tuesdays. I was the only person in the theatre. It was a weekday and an evening showing, but surely this film deserves a larger audience than one. Meanwhile there was a line for Wonder Woman. I’m not knocking Wonder Woman; I’ve heard it’s a great movie. But I hope the Wonder Woman fans will give this movie a try. We need more films like this.