Considered as a piece of entertainment, 'Straight Outta Compton' is funny, touching, ceaselessly entertaining, full of mad tunes and incredibly well cast.
The characters are all instantly recognisable, which adds a whole new level of enjoyment to the experience. But if you were ever a fan of NWA, as the film continues, a subtle sense of disparity from reality starts to grow.
Dre and Cube are portrayed as funny, clever, honest guys who always have their hommies’ backs, aren’t swayed by money and forgive their friends without hesitation. These qualities aren’t necessarily untrue but, by the end of the film, you’re almost left with the impression these dudes are saints.
They’re a little bit rough around the edges, but every misdeed is framed to make it seem not just understandable but like it was actually the right thing to do. Thankfully, you are also left with the closing-credit revelation that the film was produced by Ice Cube, Dr Dre, and Eazy E’s missus, Tomica Woods-Wright.'Straight Outta Compton' isn’t outlandishly fake, there are no over-the-top claims and, of course, they can’t include every single moment from the group’s history. But the subtle blurring of lines and slight reframing of events is almost more sinister as it has all the hallmarks of honesty, allowing the mistruths to slip beneath the radar. This is what happens when the subjects of a biopic have their hands firmly wrapped around the story-line; the perspective is inescapably skewed.
As director, F Gary Gray, said himself, "you could make five different NWA movies. We made the one we wanted to make." And, to be honest, he’s absolutely right. 'Straight Outta Compton' is not a documentary and they are under no obligation to tell their story as other people saw it or even as it actually truthfully was.
To criticise them for leaving things out and justifying their mistakes would be the height of hypocrisy because we all do it. Every story we tell to friends or share on social media is biased towards our perspective. We write our own histories now and each of us is the hero of our own story.
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There is a point though, where gently editing your history and presenting yourself in the best light crosses over into the territory of propaganda. The inclusion of a lengthy set of scenes advertising Dr Dre’s Beats Headphones, his history of violence against women omitted and him presented as an all-round good guy is enough to bring into question their true motives in making the movie. Is the film simply a calculated business manoeuvre designed to further each of their empires? And, perhaps more importantly, does that even matter?
Really, with this film, you have a choice. You can go into it judgement free, enjoy it, because it is fantastically fun to watch, and leave it at that. Or, you can dig deeper, disappoint yourself a little when you find out some of the stuff these guys actually did, but gain a better perspective on the whole thing. Either way, it’s definitely a film worth watching.
'Straight Outta Compton' is cinemas 3 September.
