Straight Outta Compton (2015)
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The film depicts the rise and fall of the influential hip-hop group N.W.A. under the management of Jerry Heller.
The story
In 1986, in Compton, California, the film follows the intersecting lives of Eazy-E, who narrowly evades a police raid, Dr. Dre, who struggles with his future, and Ice Cube, a high school senior aspiring to be a rapper. Intrigued by Cube's 'reality raps' regarding the hardships of African Americans, Dre convinces Eazy to fund a startup record label, Ruthless Records, with Dre as the producer. After their song 'Boyz-n-the-Hood' becomes a local hit, the group forms N.W.A. The narrative follows their journey as they navigate the complexities of the music industry, the pressures of fame, and the challenges of their environment while recording their debut album.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows the formation and rise of N.W.A. in 1986 Compton. After Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube form the group and sign with manager Jerry Heller, they release their debut album, 'Straight Outta Compton' (1989), which becomes a hit despite controversy over its explicit lyrics and 'gangsta rap' style. The group faces harassment from the police and the FBI. Internal tensions arise when Ice Cube leaves the group over contract disputes with Heller, leading to his success as a solo artist and actor. Dr. Dre later leaves to form Death Row Records under the management of Suge Knight, where he finds massive success but faces the turmoil of the 1992 L.A. riots. Eazy-E's health declines as he realizes Heller has been embezzling money. He eventually fires Heller and attempts to reconcile with Cube and Dre. During a planned reunion, Eazy-E is hospitalized with HIV/AIDS and passes away in 1995. The film concludes with the separate paths of success taken by Cube and Dre in the years following the group's dissolution.
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 147
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- F. Gary Gray
- Writers
- Jonathan Herman · screenplay; Andrea Berloff · screenplay; S. Leigh Savidge · story; Alan Wenkus · story
- Cast and characters
- O'Shea Jackson Jr. · O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson Sr.; Corey Hawkins · Andre "Dr. Dre" Young; Jason Mitchell · Eric "Eazy-E" Wright; Neil Brown Jr. · Antoine "DJ Yella" Carraby; Aldis Hodge · Lorenzo "MC Ren" Patterson; Paul Giamatti · Jerry Heller; Marlon Yates Jr. · Tracy "The D.O.C." Curry; R. Marcos Taylor · Marion "Suge" Knight
- Genres
- biographical drama; crime drama
- Themes
- rise and fall; racial tension; police brutality; music industry struggles
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; intense
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; musical; gangsta rap; true story
- Source material / true-story basis
- N.W.A. history and autobiography of Jerry Heller
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing over $200 million worldwide.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · scale: percentage · review count: 248; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · nomination; NAACP Image Awards · Outstanding Motion Picture · win
- Production trivia
- The film did not premiere in Compton because there were no movie theaters in the city at the time.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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