Fruitvale Station
Review by Paul Preston
Welcome to Today I Watched…, a series of posts documenting my new challenge – watch a movie a day for the rest of my life. Keep coming back to TheMovieGuys.net to find out what I watch each day…and get my take on it.
When I see a movie that’s a new release in theaters or for home viewing, I’ll give it a proper review in the “Reviews”, otherwise, I’ll write about it here.
March 18, 2017 – Fruitvale Station
I wasn’t going to let the early scene of the stray dog dying keep me from what it was that earned this film such accolades in its 2013 release. Upon catching up with the rest of the film, I was treated to the welcome-to-the-world moment for two major talents – director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan.
Jordan’s ensuing roles in Fantastic Four and That Awkward Moment certainly didn’t hint at what I was missing by not having seen Fruitvale Station until now. He’s excellent and authentic as Oscar Grant, a young man on New Year’s Eve going into 2009, who crosses paths with the police in the worst way. Coogler directs with tense immediacy and offers up a story of a man pulled in twenty directions, while the specter of his fateful night hangs overhead. And let’s not forget this also put future Oscar winner Octavia Spencer front and center and she delivers.
Let’s go back to that dog. Turns out they didn’t kill him for no reason. The metaphor of here today, gone later today is strong in that scene and pushes each scene of Fruitvale Station into the next. Rather than making a large-scale case against police brutality, this film wins for showing us the humanity of those who are just trying to make it through their day and come face to face with injustice.
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Release Date: July 26, 2013
Run Time: 85 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
