Small Axe: Red, White and Blue (2020) Review

Time: 80 Minutes
Cast:
John Boyega as Leroy Logan
Steve Toussaint as Ken Logan
Joy Richardson as Mrs. Logan
Corey Peterson as Philford
Neil Maskell as Inspector Willis
Stephen Boxer as Chief Inspector
Director: Steve McQueen

Spotlights the true story of Leroy Logan (John Boyega), who at a young age saw his father (Steve Toussaint) assaulted by two policemen, motivating him to join the Metropolitan Police and change their racist attitudes from within. Part of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series of films.

I have been watching the Small Axe movies, all directed by Steve McQueen. I really liked Mangrove but was a little mixed on Lover’s Rock. I was interested to continue on with the third movie: Red, White and Blue. I knew that it was about John Boyega in a biopic in the role of a real life police officer and that’s it. It was really good and so far one of the stronger movies in the Small Axe anthology.

Red, White and Blue is more straightforward and lowkey compared to the previous two Small Axe movies. It also takes a distinctly different approach compared to those other stories, this time following the perspective of a police officer. Red, White and Blue is not only an examination of police culture and institutional racism, it’s also an uncomfortably timely look at how trying to reform a broken system that’s uninterested in change is futile. When the lead character of Leroy chooses to be a police officer, the community turns against him, and even his fellow police officers don’t afford him the same respect and treatment because of his race. It is frustrating to watch at times, but in the way that it is meaning to. Of the first three movies it does have the best character work. It does very well at conveying this internal conflict following the lead character, while setting it against a larger systemic backdrop. In terms of issues, it does feel like it’s glossing over some important information. There’s a lot of potential in the story of a black man trying to change a racist police force from the inside, but the outcome is a little too straightforward. It has a short runtime at just 80 minutes long. It does end a little abruptly and I wanted it to be longer. I think it would’ve benefited from at least another 20-30 minutes to flesh out some relationships and arcs better. With all that being said, I feel like the moment where it ends the story was a deliberate choice, leaving it at a low point with the hopelessness of the situation, and I do appreciate that. A standard biopic would probably continue onwards to show how Leroy would go on and make a lot of change and now everything is alright (which it isn’t). We don’t get closure because there is no closure given, there is no reformation whatsoever.

The acting is great all round. John Boyega is in the lead role as police officer Leroy Logan, and this is the best work I’ve seen him deliver. Compared to the previous two Small Axe movies where they are ensemble pieces, all the weight is put on the lead to carry this story and Boyega more than delivers. Another noteworthy performer is that of Steve Toussaint as Leroy’s father, a victim of police brutality who is opposed to his son’s decision to become a police officer. The strained relationship between the father and son is given a lot of layers and depth as the film progresses.

Like with the other two Small Axe films, Red White and Blue is on a TV budget but is nonetheless elevated by the direction from Steve McQueen. There is less emphasis on style, it’s about on the script and as such the film definitely has the same tone and feel as the other Small Axe movies. With all that said, it does make itself somewhat different from the past two movies, straying from the striking colour pallets of Lovers Rock and instead having a more restrained atmosphere. It may not be one of McQueen’s best efforts on a technical level, but it still results on a greater focus on the character driven narrative.

Red, White and Blue is a great movie that’s well worth checking out. It’s a well crafted and timely biopic with an incredibly meaningful story, led by a strong (and career best) lead performance from John Boyega.

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Small Axe: Lovers Rock (2020) Review

Time: 70 Minutes
Cast:
Micheal Ward as Franklyn Cooper
Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn as Martha Trenton
Kedar Williams-Stirling as Clifton
Director: Steve McQueen

A single evening at a house party in 1980s West London sets the scene, developing intertwined relationships against a background of violence, romance and music.

After watching Mangrove, I was interested in checking out the rest of the movies in director Steve McQueen’s film anthology Small Axe. While each of the films don’t tie into each other, I decided to watch the next movie which was released, that being Lovers Rock. I had heard some high praise for the movie, being called one of the best of the anthology. The best thing I can say about Lovers Rock is that it’s distinctly different from Mangrove, making the entry special within the anthology. It’s a reasonably decent movie and I’m glad that I watched it, however I just couldn’t get into it as much as other people did.

The plot of Lovers Rock depicts the events of one night at a 1980s West London house party. Everything happens at this party from chaos, budding relationships, music, and everything in between. It really is such a different movie from what Steve McQueen has made, and I’m not just talking about Mangrove. It’s comparatively lighthearted for the most part and isn’t as intense. Unlike Mangrove, it focuses less on the plot and characters, instead mainly focusing on the atmosphere and setting. The movie is fairly plotless, and you spend most of the time among the small community and watch their little dramas, relationships and traumas that happen over this one night. Lovers Rock is what many people call a hangout or vibe movie, and unfortunately I’ve found that hangout movies aren’t really my thing, and this film is not really an exception. I do wish there was a little more happening character wise, the characters don’t have much depth outside of a few basic traits. Generally, I found the narrative to be quite confusing and didn’t know what was happening, especially during the party, which is most of the movie. One could say that this could potentially be done to get the vibe or headspace of being at a party, but I’m not sure I should be feeling exactly this confused. The actual party, which takes up the majority of the movie, gets repetitive and overstays its welcome. I liked the atmosphere but after a while I got over it and started wishing for more from the actual movie. But for many, the atmosphere might be enough. I do understand that I might be in a minority of people. Again, I’m not really big on ‘hangout’ or vibe movies generally. Nonetheless, I still think that it’s a good entry in this anthology and does feel like it actually fits in it. Like with Mangrove and other McQueen movies there are some strong themes on display. The topics of racial discrimination and sexual harassment are highlighted multiple times in the film. Lovers Rock has a lighter tone from Mangrove, but still feels real and honest, and the characters are still surrounded by dark forces outside and you are aware of them. The movie clocks in at about 70 minutes, and while I’m definitely not going to say I was invested throughout, that was an okay length for the type of movie it is.

I don’t have a huge amount to say about the acting, but everyone played their parts well, the standouts being Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Micheal Ward and Daniel Francis-Swaby. While I don’t think the characterisation was great, I have no issue with the acting at all.

Steve McQueen directs this movie, and his work here is the best part of Lovers Rock. The stylistic elements are on point here. Much of the movie is just the house party and there is some great filmmaking and editing on display. Mangrove was shot well, but visually wasn’t anything special. Lovers Rock on the other hand is gorgeously shot and top notch from beginning to end. The camerawork has a naturalistic feel to it which further emphasises the free-flowing nature of the party. The soundtrack is great, with classic R&B, jazz, blues, reggae and rock, and overall is very catchy and captivating. I’ve not really been to parties so I can’t say this for sure, but I imagine that it captures the energy of a night out.

Lovers Rock is atmospheric, visually stunning, and excellently directed by Steve McQueen. However, this plotless hangout/vibe movie didn’t quite work for me. I wasn’t really that invested, and I couldn’t really connect with it despite its strengths. With that said, it’s still a great addition to the Small Axe anthology. This movie will work for some people more than others. As it is, I liked the movie and I do think that it’s worth watching for sure.

Small Axe: Mangrove (2020) Review

Time: 126 Minutes
Cast:
Letitia Wright as Altheia Jones-LeCointe
Malachi Kirby as Darcus Howe
Shaun Parkes as Frank Crichlow
Rochenda Sandall as Barbara Beese
Alex Jennings as Judge Edward Clarke
Jack Lowden as Ian Macdonald
Director: Steve McQueen

Mangrove tells this true story of The Mangrove Nine, who clashed with London police in 1970. The trial that followed was the first judicial acknowledgment of behavior motivated by racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police.

I heard a lot about Small Axe. It is an anthology of 5 movies focussing on different stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 60s to the 80s. This anthology has been very well received very well by a lot of people. In addition to that, director Steve McQueen, whose past work consists of Widows, 12 Years a Slave, Shame and Hunger, helms all 5 movies. So natural, I was interested in watching them. The first movie in Small Axe is Mangrove, and after watching it, I want to check out what McQueen did with the other movies in the anthology because it was great.

The movie is about a group of nine Black British protesters accused of inciting riot after demonstrating against police brutality and race-driven hatred committed by the Metropolitan police in the restaurant named Mangrove. The first half of the movie shows the build up, and the second half ends up being a courtroom drama. It is a smaller scale yet compelling story of a community together fighting for their human rights, and the bond established just from one neighbourhood restaurant. Steve McQueen wastes no time in showing how messy the 1970 trial was in a very thought provoking and cohesive manner, and we’ve come to expect that from him at this point. McQueen is such a talent and gives a great examination of the themes and subject matters he covers in all of his movies. It really sheds light on a true story about harassment by police and further illustrates that the struggle for justice in these matters is a global issue. It’s a very powerful movie, the raw power and emotion, as well as the rage inducing storyline that is portrayed throughout is fantastic and compelling to watch, and quickly draws you into this daunting time period. Mangrove is a testament to how relevant matters of racial prejudice, systemic disenfranchisement and institutional bullying and brutality really are, even today. The movie is over 2 hours long, and while I was invested throughout, I did feel like the script could’ve been a bit tighter, mainly with the first half. It does take a while to get to the trial, as we are introduced the people and the Mangrove itself. The buildup was a bit slow to me and probably could’ve been shortened a bit, but it’s an undeniably important section of the story that needed to be here.

The cast are all great, with all the performances working in the film’s favour. Letitia Wright plays British Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-LeCointe, and gives arguably her best performance to date. Among the other best performances of the film for me were from Shaun Parkes (who plays the owner of the Mangrove, and Darcus Howe, who particularly gets to shine in the courtroom scenes.

Steve McQueen once again has done some great work here. The cinematography, set pieces, production design, editing and the direction of actors are all on point here. I will say that it is way less flashy and is fairly subdued compared to Steve McQueen’s past work especially as it was more of a character study, but there’s some great shots and camerawork nonetheless.

Mangrove is a well crafted and passionate historical drama. The cast are great and shine with their performances and Steve McQueen’s work as writer and director are strong, telling a true life story of people trying to fight for their rights. Definitely watch Mangrove as soon whenever you can, it was great and I’m looking forward to seeing what the other entries in the Small Axe anthology are like.