Review by
Ben Peyton
Directed by: Deon Taylor
Starring: Naomie Harris, Mike Colter, Frank Grillo, Reid Scott,
Tyrese Gibson, Nafessa Williams, Deneen Tyler, James Moses Black
Black and Blue is set in a predominantly African-American
suburb of New Orleans, where gangs control the neighbourhoods and the police
won’t respond to 911 calls unless one of their own, a blue, is in trouble.
Army veteran, but rookie cop Alicia West (Naomie Harris) is wet
behind the ears and simply wants to make a difference in her local community
and help whoever needs it. Pulling a double shift as a favour to her partner
(Reid Scott), she’s paired up with a seasoned officer, Deacon Brown
(James Moses Black).
Responding to an off the record callout, West stumbles upon a gangland style execution of unarmed drug dealers. Her presence rumbled, things go from bad to worse as she realises the executioners are officers from her precinct. Realising West captured the grisly event on her body-cam, her colleagues turn on her to cover their tracks. Surviving their assassination attempt and finding herself framed for the murders, West faces a race against time, and the police, to hand the footage in and clear her name. She teams up with childhood friend Mouse (Tyrese Gibson) and the pair must also deal with crime lord Darius (Mike Colter) and his gang, who believe West was behind the murders.
Showcasing the problems facing African-Americans when policed by white people, there are several moments of tension highlighting the institutionalised racism and abusive behaviour that’s, sadly, become commonplace in America. However, while Black and Blue should be praised for portraying this, it does so in a heavy-handed and clichéd way, featuring stereotypical characters that often border on parody. Pretty much all the cops featured are racist, corrupt or both, and most of the neglected residents are cop-hating gangsters who shoot first and don’t ask questions later.
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Harris is on blistering form, starting out naively underestimating the
amount of violence simmering beneath the surface of her hometown, before
quickly adapting as circumstances around her spiral out of control. She well
and truly carries the film. Director Deon Taylor produces some
excellent fights and chases, but occasionally gets it wrong. Overlong shots
of Darius looking threateningly towards the camera, attempting to appear
intimidating, have the opposite effect, and poorly developed characters
threaten to undo the good work created by Harris and the promising story.
It’s frustrating because there’s a solid action-thriller in here struggling
to be seen.
The twists are predictable, there are some totally unnecessary jump scares, and time seems to stand still as the clock counts down during the climax, but Black and Blue has an important, relevant message and just about manages to get itself out of jail thanks mainly to Harris and her arresting performance.
Black and Blue is on Prime Video UK
now.