Upstairs, 17-year-old Carl Cooper (Jason Mitchell) decides to show off by shooting blanks from a toy pistol. Turning his attention to the growing police presence outside, he next fires the gun into the crowd.
Suspecting a sniper, the police respond in droves, and a reign of terror descends on the Algiers and its residents, including Greene (Anthony Mackie), a decorated Vietnam vet.
The raid is led by a trigger-happy cop, Philip Krauss (Will Poulter), who has a reputation for shooting looters in the back. Krauss rounds up everyone and, with the assistance of fellow officer Flynn (Ben O'Toole), unleashes a ruthless, demeaning interrogation.
A witness to the unfolding horror is Melvin Dismukes (John Boyega), a black security guard charged with protecting a nearby grocery store from looters. Dismukes suspects wrongdoing, and inserts himself into the maelstrom at a key moment.
Needless to say, "Detroit" is not for the squeamish. Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty"), working from a script by Mark Boal, directs at a furious, gut-wrenching pace, placing the viewer in the very center of the fast-moving storm and incorporating real-life news footage to enhance the immediacy.
However, though graphic, the portrayal of police brutality is never gratuitous. Coupled with the subsequent miscarriage of justice, the harrowing events re-enacted in "Detroit" offer a powerful reminder to mature viewers of a sad but significant incident in America's past.
The film contains intense bloody violence and torture, brief female nudity and pervasive profane and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.
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CAPSULE REVIEW
"Detroit" (Annapurna)
A dark chapter of the Motor City's history is revisited in this searing period drama about the so-called "12th Street Riot" during the summer of 1967. Director Kathryn Bigelow focuses on the notorious police raid of the Algiers Motel which resulted in the death of three unarmed black men and the brutal beating of several others. There, a trigger-happy cop (Will Poulter) unleashes a ruthless, demeaning interrogation of hotel patrons, including a decorated Vietnam vet (Anthony Mackie), two musicians (Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore), and a pair of prostitutes (Kaitlyn Dever, Hannah Murray). A security guard (John Boyega) is a key witness to the unfolding horror. Although not for the squeamish, the graphic portrayal of police brutality is never gratuitous. Coupled with the subsequent miscarriage of justice, the harrowing events on screen offer a powerful reminder for mature viewers of a sad but significant incident in America's past. Intense bloody violence and torture, brief female nudity, pervasive profane and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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CLASSIFICATION
"Detroit" (Annapurna) -- Catholic News Service classification, L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. Motion Picture Association of America rating, R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
