As "Sound of the Police" (2023 release; 85 min.) opens, it is "Minneapolis, February 17, 2022" and the MSD is seen executing a "no knock warrant" onto Amir Locke, a young Black male. Nine seconds later, Locke is shot and killed at close range. We then go back in time to the early 1700s, when slave patrols hunt down slaves who have crossed a property border. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the documentary.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from writer-director Stanley Nelson ("Attica"). This documentary is deeply unsettling and infuriating at the same time. Watching all this footage of police brutality directed at one segment of the population will make your stomach churn. And as the scholars and historians amply demonstrate, this has been going on for centuries. Lynching, slave catching, racial profiling, the never-ending killing of unarmed black men, it all points to a complete failure of a police system. Yet still there is no fundamental reform on the horizon. As one of Locke's parents laments: "How many more?" PLEASE NOTE: this documentary has received nearly universal critical acclaim since its release. The overall low rating for this film here on IMDb is undoubtedly the result of massive downvoting by people who have not seen it. Almost certainly the same people who think it's an excellent idea that a certain disgraced ex-president, twice impeached, four times indicted, convicted of sexual assault, and likely much more to follow, retake the White Office, whether legally or otherwise. For shame.
"Sound of the Police" was recently released on Hulu. I read a so(m)ber review of it in the NYT, and made a mental note to check it out. I watched it last night. Did I mention unsettling and infuriating? If you have any interest in social justice and the very problematic relationship between the police and the Black community, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
