Directed by:
Ryan CooglerScreenplay:
Ryan CooglerCinematography:
Rachel MorrisonComposer:
Ludwig GöranssonCast:
Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Chad Michael Murray, Kevin Durand, Ahna O'Reilly, Melonie Diaz, Chris Riedell, Christina Elmore, Ariana Neal, Adam Thayer (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Winner of two 2013 Sundance Film Festival awards, debut director Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his New Year's resolutions. Crossing paths with friends, family and strangers, Oscar's day starts out well but he soon realises that changes are not going to come easily. Then suddenly, a truly devastating destiny befalls Oscar: transit police officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale Station. Oscar's life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area and the entire nation to its very core. (Roadshow Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (5)
This seemingly banal story (with a tragic ending) is based on real events from the life of an ordinary African-American and his family. It is, however, rendered in such quality that it will touch your heart and bring tears to your eyes. Michael B. Jordan's acting and Ryan Coogler's directing are both outstanding.
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A black fairy tale with a bad ending. A professionally made movie based on real events that’s afraid to go deeper and instead sticks to template characters, going against most viewers, and with simple emotions. It is very convincingly made, so I’m not complaining much. Your average four-star film.
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The Sundance Film Festival audience wept and sent us Czechs a film that is supposed to make us feel that human rights are a bit out of the way overseas when different ethnic groups start to get at each other. Sorry, folks, but what I see in this is a perfectly calculated idyll about a reformed black man who got on the wrong train. The actors are without question divine and the direction is actually very assured, but I simply refuse to accept the pressure to ring tears out of the audience.
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I admit that I don't like activists for their one-dimensional view of complex issues. Activism, at the very least, flattens and hinders discussion; I simply look at its expressions with suspicion. However, I don't primarily blame Fruitvale Station for its activist stances and emotional manipulation; the film simply falls into the category of engaged cinema. Although I somewhat identify with its goals, I also note that I haven't seen a title for a long time that so blatantly owed its victory in the festival battle to its subject matter. It is simply too unexciting and unremarkable, lacking emphasis and provocativeness, an incorrect rebellion in the style of Spike Lee. I don't find any directorial or screenwriting mastery here either. I'm giving three stars this time more out of courtesy and for the subject matter. Overall impression: 50%.
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This film plays it safe, and its asset is the fact that it is essentially a dramatized record of real events. It is a documentary that follows the events leading up to an unnecessary death. From the first scene, which was captured in real life when an innocent man was shot, it is clear that this film will not play any games with you; it goes straight to the point. It is precisely because of this opening scene that your insides will gradually tighten, and you will quietly ponder as you realize that the finale is approaching. It is unfair, but all the sadder, that these things really happen. And the responsibility isn't that great...
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