N.W.A: Straight Outta Compton

I was reading some of the reviews about this amazing movie and wanted to laugh. "Oh my gosh, it has sex, drugs and violence. Boo hoo!" I mean, do people do any kind of research before shelling out their $10? This movie takes place in Compton in the mid 80s. This wasn't Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, this was a rough, hardcore area where blacks didn't know if they would be arrested and assaulted by cops or shot at by gangsters anytime they stepped out the door. "Straight Outta Compton" is one of the most remarkable rags to riches stories about a group that changes the face to music, movies and pop culture on a grander scale.

The movies introduces us to the five members of N.W.A.: Ice Cube, Easy-E, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. We see how the group formed, how they met manager Jerry Heller, the recording of their first album, the flack they received on tours, their constant battle over censorship and freedom of speech, their lives of excess and partying, the trouble they experienced by law enforcement for just standing there, the battle of egos, inner band turmoil, and eventually the splitting up of the group. If you are a fan of hip hop, you know how much of an influence N.W.A. had to the rise of West Coast Hip Hop and Gangsta Rap. At this time, the only real way to hear new music was the radio, and due to their controversial lyrics, they never got any airplay, but the media helped create buzz and popularity almost indadvertedly by talking about how controversial the group was and how people didn't like their music. That resulted in the band becoming multi-platinum superstars. In fact, the band didn't just grab the black audience, but was highly popular with white men, who started turning away from rock music, which was facing a decline due to cheesy hair metal production, to this new, powerful, anti-establishment credo that rock once represented. Yes, there is drug use, sex and violence, but this was the life these guys knew, and no matter how far you go, you never forget your roots or completely leave them.

The actors all do an excellent job in their roles. The only real veteran in this film is Paul Giamatti, who does his usual solid performance, this time as the sleazy, manipulative manager Jerry Heller. Interestingly enough, Giamatti was in another music biopic this year, Love and Mercy, about another influential Southern California band (The Beach Boys). Both bands, very much from the same area, had such a influence to their periods of time and represented completely different worlds of Southern California youth life.

Even if you're not a fan of hip-hop, I still think you need to this as their effect on pop culture in general is still prevalent today. Also, on a sadder note, the issues of police brutality on minorities still is a glaring problem that makes F the Police sound just as fresh as it did in 1988.

First of all, I am a white man, 58 years old. opinions will always vary on quality of movies, but I am shocked at many of the comments/reviews I've seen for soc (straight outta Compton). To say one needs to know ebonics and ridiculous things such as that........is racist. I was shocked at how good the acting was. Oshea Jackson was the weak link in my opinion; but paul giamatti, and the guy who portrayed easy-e were amazing. I was prepared for a typical bio (especially music bios) where the story is way ahead of the acting. Guy playing dre was excellent as well. So I was pleasantly surprised. This is an outstanding movie. One need not have knowledge of the hip hop culture/industry, any more than one needs to know about southern America to watch and appreciate steel magnolias or fried green tomatoes (ok,, I'm dating myself here). I don't like the sound of u.s. southern accents, but that doesn't mean those flicks are not great. So please. To the point that many like to mention about the vulgarity: it was real life depiction! movies about 1600 England have a certain dialect. Same with this. people in different parts of the u.s. speak very differently. This should not be a drawback, but rather a very realistic telling of what happened. Open your minds, not everything is Ellen and Seinfeld. I have lived in l.a. since 1982 and I found it to be very interesting on many levels. Great writing, directing and acting. If it is very very odd for you, then perhaps you'll learn something watching it. I highly recommend this film.

Me myself I don't really like rap or hip-hop. But it's nice to know what these men went through on the road to fame and success. Yeah it was a rocky road and they're not the best or Perfect People but they still are people who had real life stories to tell. No they're not my heroes, they are still people which perspective. I recommend this movie to anybody with an open mind who wants to see a portrayal of what it was like to grow up in this situation.

Don't mind the one star ratings they're just spam

When reading other reviews about this movie, I really get frustrated due to the lack of understanding about what this movie is really about. A lot of empty reviews only giving 1 star due to "explicit sexual content, and black men who does not respect the law".

What people does not seem to understand is that this is a movie about the rise, and fall of the biggest rap group ever, how they evolved and what power, money, and fame can to a man (and in this case, his relationship to his friends). As much as anything, this movie really is a lot about the abuse that a lot of black males experienced from the police in the 80's (which is still a very relevant topic).

Personally I am a big fan of N.W.A, without that being the reason I am rating this movie 9/10. It is a really interesting true story about some of THE great rap artists of our generation. Great performances by actors who looks a lot like the original group, as well as Paul Giamatti. Great directing, the movie has a really nice action curve, keeping things interesting throughout the movie, and really gives the public a good insight of the life of some of the biggest stars in the world during the 80's/90's.

This is the first time i have ever written an review on IMDb, even though I have a lot of strong opinions about movies, but I really had to come to this movies defence. This is one of those movies I am really expecting to see a 8,3 star rating or something similar, and it really frustrates me to see a lot of people giving this movie unnecessary hate. GREAT MOVIE, if you like N.W.A, it is really worth your while, and if you are not, it is still worth a watch just because of the really intriguing true story that "Straight Out Of Compton" is.

9/10 movie

11/10 will watch again

Everyone one here who complains about the movie don't know what they're talking about. This movie is reality! Police brutality, growing up in the hood, the extravagant lifestyle of singers/rappers is all there. Someone complained about this being vulgar and not appropriate for kids? No duh, it's rated R. Even though it was a long movie, I didn't want it to end. You really felt what was going on in the movie. When they were angry, you were angry. When they were sad, you couldn't help but to feel that as well. Don't listen to the people complaining, and calling them "selfish". They're probably just upset at how the police were portrayed, which was the reality for N.W.A. The movie is amazing. Watch it. This movie was extremely enjoyable, and despite the length, it felt like it went by in the blink of an eye.