Compton, 1987. Born in an underprivileged suburb of Los Angeles, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, DJ Yella and MC Ren dream of using music to express themselves in a brutal world. The success of their first recording, Boyz-n-the-Hood, attracts the attention of manager Jerry Heller, who propels N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) to the top of the rap scene. Their swift success rumbles through America, fanning violence in the black community against law and order, while at the same time cementing the friendship of the group…

Picture gallery

Straight Outta Compton is less a biopic about rappers than that of an important period in American music and of the US itself. While Dr Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E form the heart of the story, with cameos and references to other big names in the rap scene, they are not focused on as individuals. The value of F. Gary Gray’s movie lies not just in the story of kids from mean streets who become chart-topping superstars, but also as a violent portrait of a country torn apart by social injustice; an explosion ignited by rap. This social commentary, unfortunately still current today, is the most powerful part of Straight Outta Compton, which is more effective in its segments of rioting and police brutality than when it returns to the story of conflicts within the group.