Detroit (2017)
RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 21 nominations
Detroit delivers a gut-wrenching — and essential — dramatization of a tragic chapter from America’s past that draws distressing parallels to the present
Detroit” is a movie that will leave you feeling like you just went through a car wash with no windows. It’s intense, it’s harrowing, and it’s a reminder that history has a way of repeating itself. Director Kathryn Bigelow takes us on a ride that’s both suspenseful and demanding, and the motel sequence alone will have you on the edge of your seat. While the film may not be easy to watch, it’s utterly convincing and a must-see for anyone who wants to understand the impact of racism and police brutality.
Production Company(ies)
Piki Films, Defender Films, Curious Film
Distributor
Annapurna Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Detroit, Michigan, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence and pervasive language
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 23m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 4, 2017 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2017
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Algee Smith, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, written by Mark Boal, crime, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Wenlei Ma, David Stratton, Sandra Hall, Judy Berman, Henry K Miller, Ryan Gilbey, R MPAA rating, produced by Megan Ellison, Kathryn Bigelow, Matthew Budman, Mark Boal, Colin Wilson, Detroit riots, police brutality, Algiers Motel, 1967, Michigan State Police, Michigan Army National Guard, racism, violence, civil unrest, tragic chapter, America’s past, parallels to the present, gut-wrenching, essential, distressing, parallels to the present
Worldwide gross: $23,355,100
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $28,171,764
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,565
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,072,166
US/Canada gross: $16,790,139
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $20,252,871
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,412
US/Canada opening weekend: $350,190
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $422,412
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,441
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $34,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $41,012,026
Production budget ranking: 944
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $22,084,976
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$34,925,239
ROI to date (est.): -55%
ROI ranking: 1,719
Will Poulter – Krauss
Algee Smith – Larry
Jacob Latimore – Fred
Jason Mitchell – Carl
Hannah Murray – Julie
Megan Ellison – Producer
Kathryn Bigelow – Director/Producer
Matthew Budman – Producer
Mark Boal – Writer/Producer
Colin Wilson – Producer
Director(s)
Kathryn Bigelow
Writer(s)
Mark Boal
Producer(s)
Megan Ellison, Kathryn Bigelow, Matthew Budman, Mark Boal, Colin Wilson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 21 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (306) | Top Critics (75) | Fresh (252) | Rotten (54)
Detroit is vivid and it is demanding, designed to shake you out of complacency.
November 16, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Wenlei Ma
News.com.au
TOP CRITIC
The motel sequence is so suspenseful that it’s a shame that what follows is so perfunctory.
November 10, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
It’s not an easy film to watch but Bigelow’s control over every aspect ensures it’s utterly convincing.
November 8, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Detroit, however, suggests [director Kathryn Bigelow] – and her current screenwriter – still can’t quite tell the difference between an impactful film and an important one.
September 22, 2017
Judy Berman
Mic.com
TOP CRITIC
What might be most characteristic of Bigelow is the eerie feeling that the police are halfway ‘acting out’, performing their brutality.
September 4, 2017
Henry K. Miller
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
It is a harrowing, relentless and intensely angry movie. As it should be.
August 31, 2017
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Detroit suggests that the self-destructive riots only resulted in further despair, but to not act in the face of such widespread racism would be almost inhuman. Indeed, there are no easy or cohesive answers or solutions in the film, nor in the real world.
March 22, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Indeed, Detroit is a jarring ride in a car with no brakes that will leave you rattled and in a haze once its over.
February 11, 2022
Cory Woodroof
Curnblog
There’s the famous saying that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Director Kathryn Bigelow’s latest film, Detroit shows us in vivid, cinematic brilliance how true this axiom really is.
August 25, 2021
Hosea Rupprecht
Pauline Center for Media Studies
The unfortunate aspect of ‘Detroit’ is the unconvincing shift in perspective that starts everywhere and narrows to here: this motel, this courtroom, these people, this event.
April 30, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/5
Michael J. Casey
Michael J. Cinema
A film about the 1967 race riots that feels sadly relevant.
April 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Olly Richards
NME
Detroit is a pulse-pounding, shocking, and poignant film, that becomes even more sad when you realize that after 50 years, we still have not come far from this fateful night in the motor city.
March 15, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Leo Brady
AMovieGuy.com…
Plot
A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest RACE riots in United States history. The story is centred around the Algiers Motel incident, which occurred in Detroit, Michigan on July 25, 1967, during the racially charged 12th Street Riot. It involves the death of three black men and the brutal beatings of nine other people: seven black men and two white women.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Detroit on Fresh Kernels.
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