Fruitvale Station

Based on the true story of one of the most heart wrenching instances of police brutality in American history, Fruitvale Station humanizes Oscar Grant, a victim of senseless police violence and racial profiling. This film does not paint him as a saint nor does it paint him as a crook, it shows him as a human being with many flaws. Michael B. Jordan gives an electrifying performance as Oscar Grant. He doesn't miss a single step and delivers a performance that has solidified him as a force to be reckoned with on screen. The film, as a whole, works but not for storytelling. This is a film that has great performances and that keeps it above average on many levels. If there was anyone else playing these roles, especially Jordan, I feel as if the film wouldn't pack as much of a punch. Ryan Coogler directs the hell out of his actors and does a fantastic job keeping pace. Running at just below an hour and a half, the film moves. It doesn't drag, it doesn't lack, it is a beautiful and moving portrayal of a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the decisions that he made to put him at Fruitvale Station on that fateful night.

Overall, this is a film with powerhouse performances that needs to be seen. The 2013 awards season definitely has a contender in Fruitvale Station along with a soon-to-be Oscar nominated Michael B. Jordan.

"Fruitvale Station" is not the feel-good movie of the year. Nevertheless, I think you should stop at this station to witness the impact that this movie throws at you. The film is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. Grant was accidentally killed by a police officer at the Fruitvale BART station. The officer was part of a group of policemen who held Grant and his friends at the station for fighting with others in a train. This unfortunate event did not get the headlines that the Trayvon Martin case did, but was just as sad because a young life was taken away way too soon. Writer-Director Ryan Coogler orchestrates "Fruitvale Station" primarily on Grant's last day with his family, girlfriend, and friends; instead of just simply taking the "plight for justice" road. Consequently, that gives the movie more depth and authenticity. Coogler's scribe of the picture was not as impressive as his direction but still gets the word out on doing what is right not just for one's own sake but for their loves ones; and of course, he also disseminates the message on the unjustified death of Grant. Michael B. Jordan's starring performance as Grant was a slam dunk; and let me tell you it was no lay-up due to the nature of the complex character he had to portray. Jordan completely disappeared into the role. There were also some impressive supporting turns from Oscar-winner Ocatavia Spencer as Grant's mother Wanda, and Melonie Diaz as his girlfriend Sophina. "Fruitvale Station" does get overdramatic at times, but it does have justifiable reason to do it. So you might want to take a hanky, but I think this movie is one that should be on your track to witness. ***** Excellent

An accomplished film from young writer/director Ryan Coogler detailing the events that led up to the murder of Oscar Grant, a 20-something black man, by San Francisco police on New Year's Eve.

Most of the film is a day-in-the-life study of Oscar, a young man who's trying to get straight in an environment that doesn't make it easy. He's recently spent time in jail when the movie opens, and he's lied to his girlfriend (with whom he shares a young daughter) about getting fired from his job. The lure of petty drug hustling is strong, but he's fighting the temptation, and he's got a mom (Octavia Spencer) who checks in occasionally to remind him how disappointed she'll be if he falls back on crime. The film avoids making any kind of hero out of Oscar -- he's a decent guy who's fighting the odds in not terrible but not great circumstances, and though his murder could easily have become a symbol of white oppression (which in real life it did), the movie doesn't force that idea down its audience's throats.

One of the things I liked best about "Fruitvale Station" was how honest it was about its portrayal of white/black relations. White people don't play much of a role at all in these black people's lives -- the cop who murders Oscar is white, but the film shows other interactions with random white people that are perfectly normal and kind. The movie isn't concerned with preaching about how whites and blacks should get along -- instead it acknowledges that whites and blacks exist in very different cultures and explores the worst case scenario of how tragic the outcome can be when one doesn't make the slightest effort at accepting the humanity of the other.

Grade: A-

I don't usually bother writing reviews, but this is a good little film that I feel has been unfairly maligned by a few uninformed reviewers here, so I'll add my two cents:

Fruitvale Station is a solid film, well paced and edited, with a strong lead performance by Michael B. Jordan and some standout work by Octavia Spencer. The sound design is particularly noteworthy. The cinema verite camera-work (No, "M. Brand," the visual style here was a choice; well made student films, even cheap ones, generally look better than this) left me underwhelmed for most of the film (and honestly, the mistimed focus pulls were pretty distracting) but paid off big time in the Fruitvale sequence. There the cinematography, editing, sound design, and score combined to create the most gripping ten minutes of film I've seen in a year. I'd recommend Fruitvale on the strength of this sequence alone.

Ryan Coogler admittedly takes some dramatic license with the story. Some of it (the Katie character) works, some (the bit with the dog) comes off heavy-handed. None of it gave me any reason to question the film's "fidelity" to the facts. The unfettered access to Oscar's family, legal documents from the criminal and civil case (including all the video taken on the scene), and the tacit approval of BART (They were allowed to film on the actual BART platform and in their cars!) gives me no reason to believe this film takes any more narrative license with the facts of the Fruitvale incident than many documentaries would.

The film is not perfect. Some of the performances are subpar, some of the improvised dialogue bumps, and the day-in-the-life conceit, while not ignoring Oscar's spotty past, does paint him in an unrealistically rosy light. But by and large this is a moving, gripping, at times infuriating film that will stick with you after the credits roll. Congratulations to Coogler and his team.

**As for the troll who called this film "socially irresponsible," your opinion and the reasoning behind it are so abhorrent I struggle to imagine any person, no matter how ignorant or loathsome they might be, taking you seriously.

This film tells the story of the last hours of the life of a young man in San Francisco.

Most of the film is a pretty ordinary portrayal of the day off this young man who had a girlfriend and a daughter, who lost his job and has a delinquent past. He tries to be rehabilitated, tries hard to be a good person, but circumstances of the New Year's eve did not allow his life to be ordinary. The final moments of the film is powerful, especially the mother's tears which is profoundly touching. She would have been under so much self blame. It would have been nice to see more of the citizens angry outcry towards such abuse of power, but this film does the job in raising awareness in this issue.