Detroit (2017 film)

This really has been a pretty strong summer for movies, and that continues this weekend with the latest from Kathfyn Bigeloe (Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty):



Detroit

 

That's Kathryn Bigelow, not Kathfyn Bigeloe.

 

What I find interesting is that the media campaign for this keeps repeating "by the writer and director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty," without ever saying her name. Maybe they're afraid that certain people will be turned off by it being a woman?

John K.

 

How about "From the former wife of director James Cameron"?

 

I don't know about that. I think its more likely that those movie titles have more name recognition than her actual name.

 

No. The same happens with men directors all the time. There are not many directors on the level of a Spielberg (men or woman) that have their name hold more weight than the movies themselves these days.

 

Who hasn't heard of Kathfyn Bigeloe?

 

I'm so happy to see all this interest in the movie!

 

The general public. As someone pointed out above, there are only a few directors with mass name recognition beyond people who follow movies closely. Her name is not Steven Spielberg. I guess you can choose to see a fear of mass misogyny by the marketing department here, but I think that's quite a reach.

 

I remember those riots back then, but I recall more of the Chicago Democratic convention riots in 1968 and the Vietnam protests across the nation.

 

I lived in Downriver during the '67 riots, I was 13-14 years old at that time and one of the main things I remember as a kid was how everyone I remember was talking about the Detroit riots wanting to go out and buy firearms for protection.

 

City hall is nothing but corruption and decay..
Detroit, has a cancer, the cancer is crime and wrong people in charge..

 

Seems like she's running in circles.. Most of Detroit should be bulldozed..
And let Delta City come true

 

Maybe, though very recent examples are the trailers for Blade Runner 2049, which prominently feature Dennis Villeneuve's name. Despite Arrival's general acclaim, I don't think he's got a high recognition factor.

John K.

 

Maybe that's to help make it clear that Blade Runner 2049 is not being directed by Ridley Scott.

 

I just saw it. Maybe it's not perfect, as many critics are pointing out, but I still found it a very powerful experience. Well worth seeing, IMO.

 

‘Dark Tower’ Leads Slow Weekend With $19.5 Million, ‘Detroit’ Stumbles at Box Office

 

I'm not surprised. But I know better than to go into why...

 

Saw it today...5 people in the theater...it was just ok...some scenes just went on too long without advancing the story...I thought it was going to be about the riot in general but focused mostly on what happened at the Algiers Motel during the riots.

 

We filmed a short documentary for clients on the north side of Detroit about 10 years ago. Surprising how much 'green space' in the city, from housing that had burned down during the riots, and was being reclaimed by nature. "Grand Torino" captures a bit of that - the 'urban wilderness space'

 

Saw it tonight. Very powerful film.

 

I agree with aforchione.

I didn't think it would spend so much time on one hotel.

 

Eh, it told the story the writer wanted to tell - which was more than powerful enough to sustain a movie.

 

The Algiers Motel incident was arguably the worst case of police brutality up to that point, and surprise, it was racially motivated. The motel incident is the "point" behind the movie, the riots serve more as a backdrop. There is a reason the black community took up arms and rebelled in 1967, and it should be painfully obvious what that reason was after watching the film...

Paradise Valley/Black Bottom was paved over and the Chrysler freeway replaced it, Hastings street is gone, the slums were replaced with projects, economic opportunities were few and far between in the neighborhood of 12th and Clairmount, and the Detroit Police Department was barely a step above the clan. I'd have been angry too. Probably not angry enough to burn down my own neighborhood, but still...

Unfortunately a lot of the same problems that lead to racial tensions in 1943 and 1967 in Detroit still exist, but on a larger scale encompassing not just the city (a husk of its former self) but instead much of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties.

 

My wife and I finally saw this movie today. This is its third week at the "dollar" theater (no longer a dollar, but when two adults get in for < 4.50, who's counting?). We have a seen a good handful of movies this spring and summer, and have generally been disappointed with the fare. And a good number of the movies were seen at the local "arthouse" (e.g, Angelika), and they still didn't do much for us.

The movie is, hands down (or thumbs up) the best movie I have seen this year. My wife felt the same way. It is a long movie, maybe a little too long, but a powerful film, with a middle section that is difficult to watch. It should be that way -- this is the Algiers Motel incident, and it was much, much, much worse for those who endured it. It really is gut wrenching, to the point of being disturbing. American racism by law enforcement is portrayed starkly for what it was and, unfortunately, for what it still is.

One might think, well, that was then, this is now. But both "soft" and "hard" forms of racism abound: CultureFuture: Hard Racism vs. Soft Racism In 2017, 189 black persons have been killed by police: Police killed at least 309 black people in the U.S. in 2016. Black Americans are incarcerated five times more than white people: Black Americans incarcerated five times more than white people – report

If so inclined, go see it. And more importantly, reject any and all hatred against others, regardless of differences in appearance, ethnicity, beliefs, or ideology. This is about what constitutes human decency. We can live together . . .