(#14) Blindspotting (2018) - [8.5/10]

Collin's perspective on life changes after an incident during the final three days of his probation.

Collin must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning in his Oakland, Calif., neighborhood. His bond with his volatile best friend soon gets tested when Collin sees a police officer shoot a suspect in the back during a chase through the streets. Things soon come to a head when the buddies attend a party at the upscale home of a young and wealthy tech entrepreneur.

How would I describe this film in one word?

Feel-good.

Note Vibrant and fun. Man that movie was fun. I can't believe how overlooked this movie is. The only reason I watched it is because Chris Stuckmann had it in his Top 10 Movies of the Year list and he briefly mentions this movie's climax and I was really intrigued by it. And man it was so worth it. Normally I expect a neo-noir style movie like John Wick or Blade Runner 2049 or Drive to make make me feel good about a movie, but this movie was vibrant and fun even in the sun. Great vibes.

Review

The story is pretty simple: Collin (who gives a brilliant performance by the way) must make it through his last three days of probation without a dent after a year of changing his lifestyle and attitude towards life. But when he witnesses a police shooting of a black man (he himself is one), his friendship with his (white) friend Miles is tested and his own psyche starts seeing things and police and society's perspective of him differently. It was sound complex but it isn't (it was pretty hard to explain though), it's just a very outlandish story. The story isn't exactly the main draw of this film, it's the central duos performances, the exquisitely portrayed social commentary - of the inappropriateness of the 'n' word and society's view of black people and police force's regard for lives and black culture and the futility and danger of guns - all topped with the protagonist's weird hobby of making rhymes out of the blue. So basically as I've been saying for the length of the whole review, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FEEL. And for that...

RATING: 8.5/10

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Director: Carlos López Estrada

Rated: R

Runtime: 1 hr 35 min

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama

Starring: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Janina Gavankar