Unfortunately, it's all-to common for people of color, young men especially, to face harassment and harm from the police forces that ostensibly exist to serve and protect us. There are a number of socioeconomic, racial and cultural issues at play in this, but the fact remains that if an unarmed person is killed by police in the United States of America, there's an overwhelming likelihood that the victim was a black man. Tragically, it just happened again. One such victim in a widely publicized case was Oscar Grant, a 22 year old man who was tragically killed in the early morning hours of New Years' Day, 2009 by BART officers in Oakland.
The film purports to put a human face on this news story by dramatizing and depicting the last day of Oscar Grant's life. Written and directed by Oakland native and first-time director Ryan Coogler and starring rapidly rising star Michael B. Jordan (who most memorably played Wallace on season 1 of the Wire and quarterback Vince Howard on seasons 4 and 5 of Friday Night Lights) Fruitvale Station features some promising young talent, so how is it?
The Good: Jordan, as you know if you're at all familiar with his work is incredibly likable and really brings charm and humanity to a role that required all of his significant talents. Considering that 90% or more of the film takes place with him directly on screen, if the lead actor isn't up to the task, this is a project that's going to fail, quickly. Luckily, Jordan proves up to the challenge and then some, proving the type of chops that only a few actors working today readily display, and showing why this 26 year old is one of the rising stars I'm watching most closely. In addition to Jordan, Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz do fine work as Oscar's mother and girlfriend. First time writer-director Ryan Coogler shows a great eye, and demonstrates the kind of talent that could keep him working for a long time. Additionally, despite the fact that everyone knows how this one is going to end, the story moves briskly, interweaving changes of scenery, other characters, flashbacks and a great use of natural sound and techniques to give the film a small, intimate feel. This film sets out to humanize a tragic event, and does so masterfully, if occasionally in a manipulative fashion, making it so you'd have to be the world's biggest curmudgeon to root against this guy. A lot of this is due to Jordan's portrayal, but there is something to be said for a story that inspires the kind of passion that Grant's has.
The Bad: Oscar Grant was a drug dealer and had spent time in prison, and while that in and of itself doesn't make someone a bad person, obviously, the true picture of Oscar most likely had more shades of grey than the film's rosy portrayal offers. I feel that Jordan is a good enough actor that a more nuanced version of Grant could have still won audiences over, but this is a relatively minor complaint, as everyone is going to come up rosy in the eyes of their loved ones, who were likely Coogler's primary sources for his picture.
In all, this is a touching, artfully crafted, and ultimately devastating look at the human cost of tragedy and social injustice with one of the year's great performances (thus far) at its heart. Well worth a watch, even if you're likely going to be feeling down in the dumps for a bit afterwards and find yourself reading a bit more Slate.com than usual. These aren't bad things! One of the year's best, so far.
8.5/10.
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