Straight Outta Compton - B

Rated R, 145 minutes

Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E

The overlong but entertaining, often fascinating drama "Straight Outta Compton" is part bio-pic, part (rap) music history lesson, detailing the rise of the gangsta rap group N.W.A. and memorably captures some of the magic created by the group. Well-cast and with generous helpings of the group's music, it's a music history lesson that crams too much into one movie, but at least it's a lesson you can bounce to (and you can easily see where the current hit TV show "Empire" has its roots). In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country and five young men - Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Ice Cube (O' Shea Jackson Jr.), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.) - translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation and changed the music culture through their gangsta rap group N.W.A. Directed by F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job") and co-written by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff, the enjoyable, energetic and overly ambitious "Straight Outta Compton" is a must-see for music lovers, especially those of late '80s/early '90s gangsta rap, something that seems like ages ago but feels like yesterday. The movie benefits most from its music and a memorable cast who performs it well, particularly from the Dre-Cube-Eazy trio that the movie focuses on; it's worth noting that Cube's real life son and doppleganger plays him well, though Mitchell and Hawkins are both solid as Eazy and Dre, respectively, not to mention another stellar supporting turn from Paul Giamatti as their savvy manager, Jerry Heller, who even with some questionable business practices knew how to market the guys and seemingly believed in them. "Compton" could be split into two parts: the first half detailing the rise of the group, and the second half dealing with the group's problems as a result of their fame, with the first half more memorable than the second. "Compton" bursts with energy in its musical performances particularly in this fun, fascinating first act, and it's a treat reliving some gangsta rap history, particularly one nasty concert in Detroit. The second half of "Compton" goes on much too long, feeling redundant as it delves into the group's fights and some of their other collaborations, giving too much footage to the Dre-Suge Knight (played by R. Marcus Taylor, he's portrayed as a good businessman and a big bully) partnership with too little time devoted to Eazy's unfortunate illness, played as another sad footnote in the group's history, which also includes Snoop Dogg and Tupac, both briefly portrayed here. All said, it's about a half-hour too long, but "Straight Outta Compton" with some well-staged musical numbers and memorable performances, is still pretty dope. Definitely worth a look.