There’s a lot to tell in Black and Blue’s potentially fascinating and poignant premise. The topic of Black police officers and how they navigate the corruption within the department is an idea that isn’t explored very often. Add the fact the lead is the ever-talented and supremely underrated Naomie Harris and you have yourself a recipe for indie-action success.
But while director Deon Taylor manages to squeeze those topical discussions and ideas in a few spots, it doesn’t surmount to anything other than a simple yet engaging action thriller. This is especially true as the story progresses, where the shift-in-focus slowly goes from the difficult yet important social commentary towards the action and thriller Taylor is well-regarded for. For the most part, Black and Blue works much better as a fun little cop thriller/action-adventure than a deeply insightful look into a subject worth discussing, and that presents plenty of benefits and problems for itself depending on how you look at it.
Alicia West (Naomie Harris) has recently joined the NOPD in hopes of making a difference for her community. But her hopes and dreams are continuously stalled as she suffers distancing and resentment from those in her community, who see her as a traitor to her community. But her loyalties become tested after she witnesses fellow officers, led by narcotics detective Terry Malone (Frank Grillo), murder a young black criminal informant, all of which was recorded on her body cam. Hunted by the force (at least some of it), and hated by her community, Alicia must recruit the aid of store worker Milo (Tyrese Gibson) if she is to successfully upload the footage and expose the cops for the corruption they embrace.
A lot of the strengths this movie could’ve made the most of can be seen even before Alicia witnesses the murder. The opening scene alone, in which Alicia goes for a jog but is stopped and frisked by a couple white officers, is frustrating to watch, but in the way it should be. We see that even a badge won’t protect her from the vile privilege some in the police force are happy to show off. It’s a gripping moment of suspense as well as pent-up anger to what is disturbingly common in our society today, and it would’ve been great to see that anger prevalent throughout the movie.
But as the story progresses and the tension begins to ramp up, that’s where Taylor starts to diverge from the poignancy of the premise and shift towards a more action-oriented thriller. If anything, the more it embraces its action and suspense-filled set pieces, the more jarring and unfulfilling the commentary becomes. In the first half of the movie, the concerns of racism, police brutality, corruption, and so on are given real weight and importance with moments like the opening scene and also in other tension-filled sequences, such as when Alicia is trying to converse with a 10-year-old skater. But soon enough all of the relevant subject matter devolves from experiential to expositional. We sometimes hear people say things about corruption, police brutality, racism, and so on towards the second half of the movie. Other times they’re brushed aside in favor of the suspense being built.
Naomie Harris manages to make the most of it and gives a commendably conflicted yet commanding performance. She’s meant to be the bridge between both worlds, a way for both sides to make peace. That’s what she set out to do, and yet Harris manages to capture the turmoil and paranoia she must suffer through when she becomes practically an outsider to both her kin and the force. But even in her most troubling situations, Harris makes the most of her character’s suffering and brings out enough pain and frustration as well as empathy to make Alicia a valuable heroine for what’s often seen as a masculine story or role. Everyone else manages to pull in likewise serviceable performances, with Tyrese Gibson giving us an admirably honest and sincere performance we don’t often get to see anymore.
If anything, Deon Taylor has a fair grip on how to shoot action and suspense, for as mentioned before, there are a number of well-conducted scenes of anxiety. But the weird part about how Taylor shoots the heart-pounding scenes is that while the action sequences are serviceable and somewhat enjoyable, most of them aren’t anything to gush over. With the exception of a couple edge-of-your-seat chase sequences, tt’s oddly the much quieter moments of dialogue, of intrigue, that relay the most pressure and suspense in the movie. As an example, the climactic finale features two parallel conflicts: one involving a shootout and the other inside the Police Department. While the shootout is well-shot and such, it’s the much simpler NOPD conflict that’s far more claustrophobic and excruciatingly tense.
Black and Blue should be commended for Deon Taylor’s laudable use of tension throughout as well as Harris’ and Gibson’s emotionally striking performances. But take those away, and you’re left with an unfulfilling police thriller that is indistinguishable from the rest of its like. The subject matter it confronts itself with is something that should be told and visually presented, and while the beginning makes effect use of it, it’s the story’s progression where the movie’s real motives lies, and that’s in offering something entertaining, rather than something important.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCfSeVCr7ng&t=1s&w=585