Review of Detroit

Detroit (2017)
7/10
Great retelling of a dramatic event, but it drags.
5 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Detroit is a movie that is based around the events of the Algiers Motel Incident during the African American rebellion. During that incident, a group of African American males and two white females are taken in as victims who threatened police officers at the Algiers Motel. When the incident unfolds, the men and women involved would have their lives completely changed.

For what this movie is, it's fine. It's executed well enough even if it isn't completely historically accurate. It does have its intense moments, mainly towards the second act and the movie is very well acted. Algee Smith does a fantastic job with his character, Larry especially. Larry, admittedly is the main highlight of the movie for me. He is able to show so much through just his facial expressions and gestures, and I really admire Smith for executing that so well. There is a lot of political talk throughout this narrative. Some viewers may not understand all of it.

Either way, my main issue with the movie is that it feels like it drags on for too long. This movie is almost two and a half hours long, and I feel like the running time could've been reduced by about 15 minutes. I mean, the majority of the first act does do a good job at setting up the catalyst of the plot, but since this movie is about Detroit's Algiers Motel Incident rather than simply the fall of Detroit itself, I feel like there's a good chunk in the beginning that could've been taken out.

Even though Detroit feels like it drags on for too long, it's still a well acted and well written telling of a tragic event that took place in the city of Detroit. Sure, it could've been better, but it's at least a decent movie.

7/10
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