This film was the hit of both Sundance and Cannes, and was produced by Forest Whitaker. Other supporting work is provided by Melonie Diaz as his girlfriend, Ariana Neal as his precious daughter, Ahna O'Reilly as the shopper, and Kevin Durand and Chad Michael Murray as the BART cops. Michael B Jordan delivers a powerful performance as Oscar, and he and Octavia Spencer (who plays his mom) will both garner awards attention. Most of us learn to control the sides that doesn't mesh well with society. The fact is, there are two sides of Oscar, just like everyone has multiple facets to their personality. all in the 24 hours leading up to his death. Instead, Coogler wants us to believe that Oscar was now a good guy who had put his past behind him. We are not left to ponder if the real Oscar is the one who inspires his daughter to brush her teeth or the one who bows up to a foul-mouthed convict. to create another symbol of racial injustice. This inequity in storytelling apparently has only one purpose.
he even cradles a poor dog that was hit by a car. He helps out a white lady in the grocery store, he takes a big step towards leaving the drug dealing life, he plans his mother's birthday party, heck. So much effort and so many scenes are written to exhibit how Oscar is a charming guy with a big heart. My issue with the film is the seemingly inordinate amount of time Coogler spends on the flip side - the focus on Oscar's desire to get his life back on track. his terrifyingly quick and violent temper. We learn about his prison stints, his drug dealing, his unfaithfulness to his girlfriend (the mother of his daughter), his lack of responsibility (losing his job due to chronic absence), his string of lies, and most glaringly. Coogler certainly points out that Grant (adeptly played by Michael B Jordan) was no angel.
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Whether the senseless shooting was racially driven is a topic for debate, but the current media focus on the George Zimmerman trial and his killing of Trayvon Martin makes the timing of this movie quite compelling. The ending is known and seared in the viewer's mind before the story even begins. Director Coogler even begins his movie with actual cell phone footage of the incident. No one can argue that this was anything but a senseless tragedy. He claimed he mistook his gun for his Taser. The officer was tried and found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years. Much of this was caught on cell phone video by train passengers, and the aftermath brought protests in the city. An altercation/fight occurred on the train and the officers pulled Grant aside to detain/arrest. If you are unfamiliar with the tragic story, 22 year old Oscar Grant was inexplicably shot and killed (while subdued and face down) by a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) cop after watching New Year's Eve fireworks with his girlfriend and buddies. However, in my opinion, it is also flawed in its "Based on a True Story" placard that is then followed by much manipulation (3 Oprah references), some of it even bordering on misleading. In fact, this is an emotionally-charged, well written and exceptionally well-acted movie that provides much anticipation for the future projects of its first time director Ryan Coogler. If that sounds like a bashing is coming, you are mistaken. It's not politically correct to criticize this movie, but it seems only fair to treat it as I do every other movie on which I comment.
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