Director: Nate Parker
Runtime: 110 minutes
President Woodrow Wilson has been (falsely) quoted for decades as describing D.W. Griffith's landmark cinematic epic/paean to white supremacy The Birth of a Nation as being "like writing history with lightning." Regardless of the quote's actual attribution (or total fabrication), or the film's hideous messages, it's hard to fault the line as inaccurate. The film was, on a technical level, a groundbreaking push forward for cinematic techniques, particularly in the editing department.
Now, roughly a century later, actor-turned-director Nate Parker has admirably set out to rewrite history with lightning. In sharing a title with Griffith's KKK epic, Parker's The Birth of a Nation acts as a historical and cinematic corrective. The story of Nat Turner's bloody slave rebellion is one that hopefully makes Griffith turn in his grave. A shame, then, that such worthy subject matter and contextual significance is spent on an altogether amateurish endeavor. Nat Turner's story and its relation to American race relations is important, but that can only carry a film so far.
Arriving three years after Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave, Parker's film is not without merits, but comes off as pale imitation of bolder, richer narratives about our country's great shame. As is often the case with historical biopics, the protagonist's rougher edges have been sanded down to make him an archetypical hero. The same goes for just about everything else in Birth, which proceeds through a checklist of Signifiers of Slavery on its way to the end of a tepid Great Martyr story.
In fairness, there are times when Birth hits home, whether due merely to its content or the film's tackling of said content. A scene involving a slave being force fed (it involves clearing out some teeth) is harrowing stuff any way you slice it. And there are other moments that speak to broader truths about the silent community that built up among slaves on a plantation. After Nat (Parker, pulling triple duty) is whipped for disobedience, the camera pulls up to reveal that, in the hours since the whipping, the other slaves have put out candles in front of their quarters as a sort of secretive vigil. And, in the film's most impressive moment, the camera pulls back from a close up of a black boy's face to reveal that he's one of six or seven slaves who have been hanged together on a tree in a hauntingly still tableau.
But these are grace notes in a movie that often feels too caught up with its main character (and thus, it's star, director, and writer) to speak to bigger concerns. By casting Turner as a semi-prophetic shepherd of slaves, the actual man's mark on history becomes diminished. When Turner's wife Cherry (How to Get Away with Murder's Aja Naomi King, who's excellent) whispers that hundreds of blacks have been killed in retaliation for Turner's rebellion, it almost feels like an afterthought. Yes, slaveowners exacted terrible vengeance on people, but at least Nat Turner got to have one last conversation with his beloved and then die for our sins. Oh, and to cap it all off, the last thing Turner sees is an angel with classic feathery white wings smiling down at him. Pile on the overeager score (which would be a better fit for a Spielberg-directed historical romance), and the film reveals its lack of finesse. There's a difference between flinging down lightning bolts hoping that something leaves a mark, and wielding them with eloquence.
Grade: C+
Director: Chris Rock
Runtime: 102 minutes
Chris Rock has had trouble branching outside of standup in the past, watering down his comedic persona in unsatisfying and off-putting ways. That all changes with Top Five, the writer/director's third feature. Fast, funny, and surprisingly human, Rock's honest look at fame and artistic integrity announces him as an exciting new voice in filmmaking. With Top Five, the comedian has made a topical comedy that brilliantly applies Rock's style to standard narrative proceedings.
Set entirely over the course of one day (albeit with several flashbacks), Top Five opens with its protagonist at his high point professionally and his lowest point artistically. Andre Allen (Rock) started off as an acclaimed comedian, only to get scooped up by Hollywood and put in a series of idiotic, hugely successful blockbusters. Now, he's set to take premiere a drama about a slave rebellion to prove that he can be more than a catch phrase. He's also gearing up to wed reality star Erica Long (Gabrielle Union, who appears to have found the fountain of youth), the woman he claims saved him from his alcoholism. While the early part of Andre's day is filled with featherweight interviews, things take a turn when New York Times reporter Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson) arrives. Her goal is to shadow Andre and craft a lengthy profile piece for the Times, a publication that regularly savages the comedian's film work.
Though the ensemble is vibrant, Top Five is at its finest when it zeroes in on Andre and Chelsea making their way across Manhattan. Some scenes recall Richard Linklater's Before series, with one man and one woman merely walking and engaging in spirited conversation. Rock's characters avoid simple stereotypes (even Erica emerges as a real person by the end), but it's in Andre and Chelsea's relationship truly finds its footing. The comedian sometimes retreats into schticky, manic, bug-eyed behavior, but the role still allows him to prove his worth as a solid screen presence. And that bug-eyed intensity comes in handy during some of the film's more outrageous sequences. Dawson, on the other hand, is nothing short of a delight to watch. She brings an cutting intelligence to Chelsea without turning her into an accidental villain. Instead, the character becomes a well-rounded foil for Andre. Rock is the film's star, its director, and its writer, but Dawson is the one who really holds your attention when things start to get serious.
But before things get too heavy, Top Five knows how to bring in the laughs. Without turning into a barrage of jokes, Rock's script allows for humor to naturally find its way into every day conversation. The discussions cover all sorts of topics, including race, yet the writing avoids forcing punchlines for the sake of a tidy joke. Top Five is at its funniest when it simply lets a scene roll along like a high-intensity improv session. One highlight is an extended sequence where Andre visits family and friends from his old neighborhood, and voices trample over each other throwing out insults, jokes, and more. Even when the film dips into cruder territory, as in a flashback detailing a disastrous incident in Houston, Rock manages to find the outrageous hilarity of the brief cringe-inducing moments.
Top Five is also majorly successful when it comes to pacing. At just over 100 minutes, the film's energy never flags, even when Andre and Chelsea's professional relationship really hits the skids. Rock has crafted a story that bounces from scene-to-scene without giving any angle the short end of the stick. The briskness of the pacing keeps the film's comedic energy consistently up, ensuring that the more dramatic scenes don't disrupt the story's flow. The flashbacks, which could have easily been a distraction, end up being invaluable pieces that flesh out Andre's background.
It can be difficult to craft an accessible comedy without resorting to easy jokes and bottom-of-the-barrel gags. Thankfully, Top Five balances several types of humor all while naturally working it into the DNA of an incisive character study. Top Five is much more than a showcase for its leading man. It's a demonstration that not only is Chris Rock's comedic sensibility capable of being transferred to film, but that he's a genuinely effective storyteller who can do more than deliver a killer joke.
Grade: B+
