Detroit is unquestionably a challenging, demanding and at times distressing film. It is carefully researched and very cleverly constructed in Mark Boal's script, throwing the viewer straight into the start of the 1967 Detroit riots and then gradually focusing in on one famous case for the bulk of the movie. Bigelow once again puts the viewer right in the middle of the action and marshals the different elements superbly, as a chain of staggering injustices and bad decisions unfurl with brutal and unflinching consequences. The film is strewn with great performances, from excellent young Brits Will Poulter (as a racist cop, delivering one of the nastiest screen characters in recent times) and John Boyega (as the pragmatic security guard) to a sympathetic turn from Anthony Mackie as a war veteran and a real emotional journey with Algee Smith's superb portrayal of a singer whose dreams are shattered by the events in the film. It could be argued that the central police raid sequence drags a little and is slightly repetitive (although its importance to the film is vital), and there is little that surprises in the presentation of the courtroom drama section, but these are very minor niggles. The ending feels very right and is a suitably haunting conclusion to this powerful and supremely well-made film.
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