Straight Outta Compton is two and a half hours long. It could've been four. Like most biopics, so much content is glossed over or left out entirely due to obvious time constraints. But I rarely walk outside of those movies wanting ninety more minutes. The film's runtime is maximized with few if any throwaway scenes, and the entertainment is through the roof making the length feel only half as long.
It's that last statement that makes me believe that Compton could've gotten away with a three hour plus epic. An extra half hour of back story at the beginning of the film would've only added to the characters' depth and made the payoff of the group's ultimate success that much more satisfying. Or perhaps another forty-five minutes showcasing the Dre and Eazy fued or even the group's scrutiny regarding their treatment of women. The way F. Gary Gray masterfully handled the script, he could've simply added another twenty minutes of concert performances and the audience would've been more than happy.
I think it is those scenes, it is that music that is potentially the film's biggest draw. If you grew up with NWA, the soundtrack is a wonderful, emotional nostalgia. When Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E) slides on his black sunglasses in a makeshift recording booth to recite the first line to "Boyz N the Hood," it's nothing short of iconic. Chills-inducing, even. I've heard that song a million times, but the opening beat has never sounded so clean, so crisp, as it did in that scene. A perfect reenactment of the moment Eric Wright breathed life into that track. The film is filled with these wonderful cruises down the sentimental streets of hip-hop.
The cast of young unknowns, while far from flawless, do more than hold their own and even manage to outshine the seasoned Paul Giamatti in some scenes. They won't win any Oscars, but their energy is electric at times and serves as the film's vibrant heartbeat. It's tough to pick a standout. Initially I thought O'Shea Jackson, Jr. may have bested his fellow cast members, but now I think it may be Mitchell. Declaring a best performer is far from necessary though. These are such difficult characters to pull off since they're so fresh in our memory and some even very present in the public eye today, and the up-and-comers do it almost seamlessly. The notion that there seems to be no standout is a testament to the cast's quality work and palpable chemistry.
It's difficult, especially for fans, to find something to be critical of regarding the movie. I don't have much to offer myself. One thing I wrestled with during the movie, however, was the multiple scenes of police harassment. I have no problem with a film bringing attention to any issue that its creators deem important, but generally I don't appreciate any movie beating me over the head with a "message," regardless of whether I agree with it. And while I think Compton avoids the aforementioned sledgehammer technique, the redundancy of the scenes were distracting enough for me to question, at least for a few moments, whether this was a film about one of the most influential rap groups in history or the impact of police brutality in our society. By the end credits, I felt like I had watched a movie about the former and how its members' lives and careers were partially shaped by the latter, and the final product was pure cinematic entertainment.
