Straight Outta Compton

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2:15

Straight Outta Compton

R

Released Aug 14, 2015

2h 27m

Biography

Drama

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

244 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In 1988, a groundbreaking new group revolutionizes music and pop culture, changing and influencing hip-hop forever. N.W.A's first studio album, "Straight Outta Compton," stirs controversy with its brutally honest depiction of life in Southern Los Angeles. With guidance from veteran manager Jerry Heller, band members Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren navigate their way through the industry, acquiring fame, fortune and a place in history.

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Critics Consensus

Straight Outta Compton is a biopic that's built to last, thanks to F. Gary Gray's confident direction and engaging performances from a solid cast.

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Nijla Mu'min

Bitch Media

Through the evocative lens of cinematographer Matthew Libatique, Gray illustrates the vibrancy and pain of this moment and, for the most part, does not leave out the contradictions.

Feb 3, 2021

Full Review

Aramide Tinubu

Shadow and Act

The film is remarkable because of how deeply it will resonate with today's audience.

Apr 12, 2017

Full Review

Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

This is a monster film. You will walk out feeling like you have been entertained, educated and emotionally fulfilled. Eight months into the year 2015, and this is the only perfect film that has hit the theaters. This is it.

Mar 15, 2017

Full Review

Jeffrey Peterson

Indie Film Minute

What musicians would America have oppressed if Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella listened to the naysayers and followed those who said rap music, sampling, reality rap, all of it, was a waste of time and definitely illegal?

Sep 1, 2023

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

It would be nicer to savor a smaller portion of chocolate ice cream and take your time appreciating the scent of the fudge swirls or the texture of the melted ice cream. That was a long, drawn-out metaphor for what this film could have been.

Rated: D

Feb 7, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The story is epic enough that audiences will experience the significant musical and social influence N.W.A. had on the larger community of hip-hop, and how that influence continues to shape contemporary artists.

Rated: 3/4

May 29, 2022

Full Review

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Damon

Excellent, masterpiece, phenomenon.... I know the story is common to a specific region, but the subject matter crosses continents.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

Full Review

Sara

Was a good one. But definitely loved the original more.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/06/25

Full Review

Brian D

90%. 2/7/25. You leave feeling entertained, educated and emotionally fulfilled. Really felt like a cutural experience. Women, music, drugs - film has it all. Cool to see them all come up together. Interesting how E kind of ran the business side since hey found Jerry and how things progress from there. Sucks E didn't believe Cube and later Dre that Jerry was taking advantage of them all. Really liked incorporating the Rodney King trial and seeing how the guys and the city of LA reacted. Would be tough to have this film without including that and they did it in a palatable way. Fun seeing their bond but sad to see E die as he was trying to bring NWA bag. The concert in Detroit sucks with the pig cops. 5/5 rewatch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

Alex S

Straight Outta Compton aims for greatness with its talented cast delivering crisp performances as the legendary rap group. The film also offers a respectable storyline that delves into the history of hip hop, especially considering the involvement of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers. While some dark moments might have been intentionally omitted, the biopic doesn’t feel overly filtered or diluted. It maintains its intensity to energize an authentic portrayal of N.W.A. Grading: A-

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

Full Review

Abe A

Not sure how true to life this is. In any case, it tried to do too much in too short a time. It needed a great director to distill the essence of what it wanted to say--it needed to say more than it did in the time that it had. It felt thin and not in the slightest bit memorable. Given the subject matter and its potential to be epic, this was eminently forgettable. It could have been better grounded in the sociology of Compton, the history of the time, the economics of 1980s America and the psychology of the time and place, examining the logic for the emergence of a group like N.W.A. This was not that movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

Full Review

Oscar W

Depicts the controversial and disruptive lives of influential hip-hop group NWA. The film follows the groups story and how they became one of the most influential groups to the genre of hip-hop in music history.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/12/24

Full Review

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F. Gary Gray

Director

O'Shea Jackson Jr.

Ice Cube

Corey Hawkins

Dr. Dre

Jason Mitchell

Eazy-E

Neil Brown Jr.

DJ Yella

Aldis Hodge

MC Ren

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Gangsta Gangsta

2:29

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Cube's Diss Track

2:28

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Madness in Detroit

3:32

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Raid on the Dope House

2:42

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Eazy-E Has HIV

2:37

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Police Harassment

3:04

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Always Going to Be Brothers

2:28

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - Cruisin' Down the Street in My 64

2:33

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - N.W.A. Plays Dopeman

2:51

Straight Outta Compton: Official Clip - F*** Tha Police

1:42

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Synopsis

In 1988, a groundbreaking new group revolutionizes music and pop culture, changing and influencing hip-hop forever. N.W.A's first studio album, "Straight Outta Compton," stirs controversy with its brutally honest depiction of life in Southern Los Angeles. With guidance from veteran manager Jerry Heller, band members Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren navigate their way through the industry, acquiring fame, fortune and a place in history.

Director: F. Gary Gray
Producer: Ice Cube, Tomica Woods-Wright, Matt Alvarez, F. Gary Gray, Scott Bernstein, Dr. Dre
Screenwriter: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Circle of Confusion, Legendary Pictures, Cubevision
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Use|Strong Sexuality/Nudity|Violence)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 14, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 6, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $161.0M
Runtime: 2h 27m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, Datasat
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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