Michael B. Jordan
Melonie Diaz
Kevin Durand
Chad Michael Murray
Ahna O’Reilly
Octavia Spencer

Ryan Coogler

85 mins.
Biography, Drama
July 26, 2013

Rated R for some violence, language throughout and some drug use. (MPAA)

“Fruitvale Station” rests on the casting of Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant, the real-life victim of a police shooting in the Bay Area on the final day of 2008, for two main reasons: (1) the style of the film, in particular the segues into music combined with images and unscripted action, is similar to “Friday Night Lights” (the TV show), in which he starred during its final seasons; and (2) he’s believable as a young black man who’s been on the wrong side of the law, but seems to be a good guy despite that. This is an important story to tell for numerous reasons, one of which is that Oscar was no saint. (Did he do something to his former boss, for instance?) But he still experienced a gross injustice.

Some may think that this is par for the course for criminals, but things like this happen to non-criminals, as well. So what’s the distinction, if there is one?

Octavia Spencer does a good job of playing Oscar’s mother, who has seemingly gone through all sorts of trials with Oscar. (We’re shown only a few of them.) The way that she handles the news of Oscar’s death is pitch-perfect. As I always say, it’s much more compelling for actors to fight tears than to indulge in them. The rest of the cast came across believably, too. Ultimately, the filmmakers knew that the story was enough. All they had to do was trust that story and the actors telling it. As a result, there’s a gentleness that allows the violent parts to grab your attention without being overplayed.

This is writer-director Ryan Coogler’s first feature. He chose the right story to tell at the beginning of his career; it’s obvious that this story is personal for him. Another plus is that this film is only 1 1/2 hours long: the perfect length. There’s nothing earth-shattering here, but there doesn’t need to be. I’m glad that this story was told in this way: We see Oscar’s flaws along with his redeeming qualities. He comes across as a real guy, warts and all.

Michael B. Jordan keeps getting better and better, and I hope that he continues to do so throughout his career. This is solid work from him. (Nitpick alert: I vacillate between wishing that he went a little further when he was put in a threatening situation and acknowledging that, by not going further, he portrayed Oscar as a normal guy who just didn’t know how to avoid repeating his past mistakes. I’m sure that he and the director pondered that dilemma, as well. After finishing the film, I think that they made the right choice, though.)

Finally, I must say that I didn’t need the cell-phone footage from the actual shooting at the beginning of the film or the footage of a memorial for Oscar (showing his daughter) at the end. I understand its inclusion (Coogler didn’t even want to use that footage at first), but it was unnecessary. The actors did their jobs, and that was enough.

Verdict: Very Good

About: (Source: facebook.com/FruitvaleStation)

Fruitvale Station was the winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. This is the true story of Oscar, 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 resolutions: being a better son to his mother, whose birthday falls on New Year’s Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend, who he hasn’t been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to T, their beautiful 4 year old daughter. He starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that change is not going to come easy. He crosses paths with friends, family, and strangers, each exchange showing us that there is much more to Oscar than meets the eye. But it would be his final encounter of the day, with police officers at the Fruitvale BART station that would shake the Bay Area to its very core, and cause the entire nation to be witnesses to the story of Oscar Grant (Official Weinstein Company Description).