'Straight Outta Compton' a powerful portrait of rap royalty

Straight Outta Compton

For a movie where one of the main protagonists dies of AIDS, Straight Outta Compton is a lot of fun.

Its first half in particular comes close to being a total dramatic masterpiece -- few films have captured the rebellious and politically astute nature of classic hip-hop better than this one.

And although the film has its fair share of unfortunate misogyny and musical biopic cliches, it is never less than riveting entertainment and truly deserving of all its unprecedented success at the box office.

The film features a trio of star making performances in the roles of Dr. Dre, Eazy E and Ice Cube, with the standout being O'Shea Jackson Jr., playing his own father -- Cube -- in uncanny, charismatic glory. If nothing else, I hope this blockbuster film provides a launching pad for their careers as leading men.

Like Dope before it, Straight Outta Compton brilliantly incorporates the current climate of racial tension over biased policing into its narrative. Naturally, the film was in production long before the upheaval in cities like Baltimore and Ferguson, but nevertheless the project does a remarkable job of making a story that takes place largely in the late '80s and early '90s feel totally relevant to modern audiences.

Also, as an African-American film lover, I'm heartened to see that the increasing segregation of movie audiences can still occasionally be neutralized. Here is a film with an overwhelmingly black cast and subject matter (although Paul Giamatti works wonders with his supporting role) that has clearly struck a chord with all audiences and become a bonafide phenomenon.

Is the film perfect? No, it starts to lose momentum towards the end when it tries to cover too many benchmarks in the careers of the protagonists, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

I was also pleased to see that it was director by F. Gary Gray, a black filmmaker her first rose to prominence in the '90s making so-called black films like Friday with crossover appeal.

This is by far his most accomplished movie. It's a visual tour-de-force at times that totally captures the kinetic appeal of the hip-hop concert crowd and the raucous behind-the-scenes lifestyle of the performers. This is not always a pretty picture, but it rarely feels like a less-than-authentic one.

Hopefully, this film will inspire a new generation to rediscover NWA's compelling first album, but also to revisit the events of the Rodney King beating and subsequent acquittal of the LAPD officers who participated in it.

This historic moment is used very effectively in Straight Outta Compton and it's a searing reminder of why "gangsta rap" once provided an important voice and counterpoint to the mainstream.