Fruitvale Station

Based on the true story of one of the most heart wrenching instances of police brutality in American history, Fruitvale Station humanizes Oscar Grant, a victim of senseless police violence and racial profiling. This film does not paint him as a saint nor does it paint him as a crook, it shows him as a human being with many flaws. Michael B. Jordan gives an electrifying performance as Oscar Grant. He doesn't miss a single step and delivers a performance that has solidified him as a force to be reckoned with on screen. The film, as a whole, works but not for storytelling. This is a film that has great performances and that keeps it above average on many levels. If there was anyone else playing these roles, especially Jordan, I feel as if the film wouldn't pack as much of a punch. Ryan Coogler directs the hell out of his actors and does a fantastic job keeping pace. Running at just below an hour and a half, the film moves. It doesn't drag, it doesn't lack, it is a beautiful and moving portrayal of a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the decisions that he made to put him at Fruitvale Station on that fateful night.

Overall, this is a film with powerhouse performances that needs to be seen. The 2013 awards season definitely has a contender in Fruitvale Station along with a soon-to-be Oscar nominated Michael B. Jordan.

I knew nothing about the true story behind this film before I saw it but Ryan Coogler did an impressive job of telling this controversial story. Coogler takes us to the last day in 2008, and introduces us to Oscar Grant's life. A young, troubled father that is trying to do the right thing by his family. This was his debut at Sundance and he didn't disappoint. The audience laughed when the actors laughed and shed tears when the actors shed tears...it was a very moving film. By the end of the film I felt as though I knew these people personally. The whole cast did an excellent job! I'm looking forward to hearing more about Ryan Coogler in the future.

"Fruitvale Station" is not the feel-good movie of the year. Nevertheless, I think you should stop at this station to witness the impact that this movie throws at you. The film is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. Grant was accidentally killed by a police officer at the Fruitvale BART station. The officer was part of a group of policemen who held Grant and his friends at the station for fighting with others in a train. This unfortunate event did not get the headlines that the Trayvon Martin case did, but was just as sad because a young life was taken away way too soon. Writer-Director Ryan Coogler orchestrates "Fruitvale Station" primarily on Grant's last day with his family, girlfriend, and friends; instead of just simply taking the "plight for justice" road. Consequently, that gives the movie more depth and authenticity. Coogler's scribe of the picture was not as impressive as his direction but still gets the word out on doing what is right not just for one's own sake but for their loves ones; and of course, he also disseminates the message on the unjustified death of Grant. Michael B. Jordan's starring performance as Grant was a slam dunk; and let me tell you it was no lay-up due to the nature of the complex character he had to portray. Jordan completely disappeared into the role. There were also some impressive supporting turns from Oscar-winner Ocatavia Spencer as Grant's mother Wanda, and Melonie Diaz as his girlfriend Sophina. "Fruitvale Station" does get overdramatic at times, but it does have justifiable reason to do it. So you might want to take a hanky, but I think this movie is one that should be on your track to witness. ***** Excellent

It's almost a Hitchcockian exercise what Coogler does. Showing the climatic incident from the start, making his audience know exactly how the incident happened, where it's all leading to, leaving us during the entire movie in the expectation of when is it finally going to hit.

The tragedy deepens from the first message he sends until the birthday of his mother, as we see all the memories piled up on the fridge and the director frames the last time Oscar we'll be with his family, closing the second act and leading us to what we know to be the inevitable end.

And during the entire movie, the director leaves what seems to be hints for any explication that might make us understand what happened. The drugs, the blood, his anger. Almost defying us to take those as signs of what we would normally think if taken out of context.

And yet, the randomness of the moment is so much more impactful because there's no reason to it. Despite the fight that spikes it, all we see until then are signs of the redemption Oscar seeks, because of his daughter, and the abrupt end to all of it. "You shot me", the lasting words of a confused man, as we are by the end.

An accomplished film from young writer/director Ryan Coogler detailing the events that led up to the murder of Oscar Grant, a 20-something black man, by San Francisco police on New Year's Eve.

Most of the film is a day-in-the-life study of Oscar, a young man who's trying to get straight in an environment that doesn't make it easy. He's recently spent time in jail when the movie opens, and he's lied to his girlfriend (with whom he shares a young daughter) about getting fired from his job. The lure of petty drug hustling is strong, but he's fighting the temptation, and he's got a mom (Octavia Spencer) who checks in occasionally to remind him how disappointed she'll be if he falls back on crime. The film avoids making any kind of hero out of Oscar -- he's a decent guy who's fighting the odds in not terrible but not great circumstances, and though his murder could easily have become a symbol of white oppression (which in real life it did), the movie doesn't force that idea down its audience's throats.

One of the things I liked best about "Fruitvale Station" was how honest it was about its portrayal of white/black relations. White people don't play much of a role at all in these black people's lives -- the cop who murders Oscar is white, but the film shows other interactions with random white people that are perfectly normal and kind. The movie isn't concerned with preaching about how whites and blacks should get along -- instead it acknowledges that whites and blacks exist in very different cultures and explores the worst case scenario of how tragic the outcome can be when one doesn't make the slightest effort at accepting the humanity of the other.

Grade: A-