The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 28 wins & 40 nominations total
- Snoop
- (as Lakeith Lee Stanfield)
- Jinx
- (as Cleavon McClendon III)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe actors re-recorded NWA's entire Straight Outta Compton album (with producer Harvey Mason Jr.) to help them get into character.
- GoofsThe opening scene is set in 1986, and Eazy-E is seen wearing the black and white Chicago White Sox hat. However the White Sox did not adopt that logo until 1991.
- Quotes
Eazy-E: Hey, ya'll lookin for Felicia?
Felicia's Man: She in there or what?
Eazy-E: She kinda preoccupied with some real nigga dick.
Felicia's Man: [Revealing the gun] The fuck you say little nigga?
Eazy-E: [Comes out with a machine gun, Cube and Ren behind him with guns too] I said, she got a muthafuckin dick in her mouth nigga!
- Crazy creditsThe only opening credits are graffiti writings of the main characters and their actors.
- Alternate versionsThe "Unrated Director's Cut" is 18 minutes longer than the theatrical release.
I may not have ever experienced racial injustice in my life, but I was at least aware of racial double standards at a young age. With that, one of the purposes of F. Gary Gray's biopic on the acclaimed, pioneering rap group N.W.A. is to get us angry at the injustice that occurred in the 1980's and 1990's and remind us that this kind of hate still frighteningly occurs today. It hits us in the face and stomps on the audience hard, as if its strapped with brass knuckles and decked out in the latest Nikes, portraying the race relations in Los Angeles as they were - ugly and disgraceful.
This portrayal only fits that of N.W.A.'s music and character. Comprised of five talented, street-smart young men, N.W.A. was a rap group predicated on detailing their harsh reality and controversial opinions in a brutally honest manner. Featuring the lyrical talents of Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, Jr., son of Ice Cube and a spitting image of his father), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), in addition to the lyrical and producing talents of MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown, Jr.), N.W.A. went from a Compton area bunch to a nationwide supergroup in what seemed to be overnight. Armed with the guidance of acclaimed music producer Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) and their desire to rap the truth and the strength of street knowledge, "Straight Outta Compton" details the rise of the group in addition to subsequent beefs, contract battles, and multiple tragedies that faced the talented young men in their prime.
F. Gary Gray directs this film with complete conviction. He and writers Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff work to capture the major events in N.W.A. in a manner that, while all-encompassing, gets to the heart of each emotion and the significance of every conversation. Gray and company don't mess around in detailing the sure power and magnitude of this group through concerts, riots, and nationwide recognition, and they do so in a manner that's investing from the very first time the group is questioned by police for doing nothing wrong.
"Straight Outta Compton," again, much like the music of N.W.A., hooks you with its bravado and swagger. We see the incredible charisma and charm of these five men, we hear their hard-hitting lyricism and their strong production, and we feel their simultaneous pride for their city and condemnation of its flaws, such as systemic racism and discrimination. From Gray's assured direction, it continues with the performances, all of which unanimously strong. Eazy-E was a character I wasn't really expecting to see developed as much as he was, but with the writing at hand and Jason Mitchell's emotionally potent and tender performance, he becomes the standout in a sea of great acting.
Each actor brings something to the table here; Jackson, Jr.'s aggression is unmatched, particularly in a telling scene involving Priority Records, Hawkins is the conviction and the even-tempered soul through all this madness, Hodge is the wit and the sporadic humor of the group, and Brown, Jr. is the backup to all the characters in the film whenever they need it. Mitchell is the tender and enigmatic one, someone who isn't easily defined, has trouble rapping and performing occasionally, but someone who also comes with big ideas for the group he knows, loves, and wants to make huge. Finally, let's not forget Giamatti, in his second Oscar-worthy performance (first being in "Love & Mercy") of the year, who gives a performance just as emotionally investing and captivating as that of Mitchell's, particularly when the two are having a heart-to-heart.
As entertainment, "Straight Outta Compton," for this past summer, is unmatchable in its level of fun and human interest. As social commentary, despite being set a few decades back, the film is frighteningly current in its issues and its ideas. While it may follow some typical tropes of a biopic (the "rise and fall" structure), nonetheless, the sleekness and universal strength of everyone and everything in this project make it rise above those shortcomings into something truly worthwhile. Finally, as a piece of hip-hop history, and film in general, it's an indisputable must-see.
- StevePulaski
- Aug 15, 2015
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Ban Nhạc Rap Huyền Thoại
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $28,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $161,197,785
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $60,200,180
- Aug 16, 2015
- Gross worldwide
- $201,634,991
- Runtime2 hours 27 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1