In 1988, NWA’s ‘Fuck tha Police’ exploded out of Californian boomboxes as not only a statement to ignite a stagnant music scene but a war cry against statewide police brutality and racial profiling. It goes without saying that the violence committed to film here feels brutally relevant.

The world’s most dangerous group are shown here humanized in a way they never have before, though the one sour taste left by the film is the chasm-sized omittance of Dr. Dre’s history of domestic abuse – a choice that feels made for the wrong reasons given the artist’s profile.

A hugely impressive cast, supplemented by an engrossing depiction of California, give perfectly-nuanced performances to a story that feels as important now as ever.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti

DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray

WRITERS: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff

SYNOPSIS: The 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.