It's 1987. Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) and Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) are trying to put out reality rap. They get reluctant Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell) and they form N.W.A. Faded producer Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) helps Eazy-E create Ruthless. They sign with Bryan Turner at Priority Records. Suge Knight (R. Marcus Taylor) is a hustler always around. During their initial success, Ice Cube refuses to sign with Jerry and later decides to go on as a solo act. These young men rise out of the gang-infested, LAPD-harassed Compton to give voice to a new generation.

There is a great energy surrounding this biopic. The actors are solid. The fact that I don't recognize them as actors make it easier for them to fade into the roles. Of course, the story is compelling. There seems to be a little bit of papering some parts of their history. That's perfectly expected especially with the participation of these artists. Without them, the movie wouldn't be made. Nevertheless, the story is still fascinating. The music is awesome. The last act is a bit slow. It could have trim some of that to intensify the ending. It may also be more compelling to end sooner. Overall, it's a solid watch.

"Straight Outta Compton" is one of the most talked about films from this year and it gives us an insight into the rise and fall of the successful hip-hop posse NWA. And even if I am not too interested in rap music, I cannot deny having heard of some of the main characters such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre of course. Maybe my lack of interest in this film is because I have not lived back then yet or wasn't old enough to follow these significant years in hip-hop history. The director is F. Gary Gray and you may have seen his "Law Abiding Citizen". Another problem I had with Compton is that it just felt too long for its own good. There was nothing really refreshing in here, pretty much everything expected, such as the guys' struggles with (predominantly White) policemen, authority arguments with other black people living in the hood etc. Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti may be the most known name in the cast here playing a prominent record company boss and even if he is good as usual, he cannot make this film a memorable watch either.

This movie runs for almost 2.5 hours, which is definitely way too long. They just did not have the material to make this an exciting watch for such a long time. 100 minutes would have been more than enough. There are occasionally interesting references about the 1980s such as near the end people thinking the HIV virus would only be transmitted through gay sex, but also this area is not enough and could have been much more than it actually turned out to be. I think this film is only a good watch for people who are already hugely interested in rap music before watching. This is no film that will spark an interest for anybody who doesn't really care about hip-hop. Surprised this one has received such favorable critical reception. Not recommended.

This film documents the history of N.W.A. (N-word With Attitude) from before its inception in 1986 up until the death of Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell) of aids. We see them as kids who "want the best for me" and reject society. They consider themselves journalist because they report on what is going on outside their door, expressing frustration in explicit and provoking language known as "gangsta rap". The film covers the splitting up of the group, the highlights and the low-lights. O'Shea Jackson Jr. did an excellent job playing Ice Cube, most likely better than Ice Cube could have done himself, if you have ever seen him act. The film made me wonder who was the most Ruthless, the rappers, the police, or the record company. They could have named this film "Ruthless." This is the story behind the lyrics. It was well done, but may not be topical for a lot of viewers.

Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity. Bye Felicia.