Jason Mitchell

In 2017 we’ve seen a handful of stories, in film and television, attempt to bring our country’s history of racism to the screen. Some have been pulled off with searing authenticity and urgency, like Raoul Peck’s fantastic I Am Not Your Negro, while others have failed to tackle America’s history of anti-black violence with clarity and nuance (looking at you Detroit). Dee Rees’ Mudbound is about to join that former category, a sprawling historical epic about two Mississippi Delta families, one black, one white, during the Jim Crow era.

Shortly after midnight on June 25, 1967, shots were heard outside of the Algiers Motel in Detroit, Michigan. A group of state and local policemen and National Guardsmen entered the motel looking for an alleged sniper. The night ended with three black teenagers dead and nine others brutally beaten. The horrific incident, which took place during the Detroit riot, is the focus of Kathryn Bigelow’s latest examination of American history. An excellent piece of powerful, dramatic filmmaking, Detroit is one of the most harrowing films you’ll see this year with a wealth of charged performances. But Bigelow’s film, written by Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker), suffers from too broad a title – this movie should more accurately be titled The Algiers Motel – and thus too broad a scope.

A couple of weeks ago Straight Outta Compton star Corey Hawkins joined the cast of Kong: Skull Island, which has recently been diversifying its lineup with Samuel L. Jackson also in talks to co-star. Today brings news that Skull Island will feature a mini-Straight Outta Compton reunion, as Jason Mitchell has also joined the cast.