Straight Outta Compton

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Straight Outta Compton

R

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

Feb 3, 2021

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.

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Aramide Tinubu

Shadow and Act

Apr 12, 2017

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

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Mar 15, 2017

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.

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Jeffrey Peterson

Indie Film Minute

Sep 1, 2023

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?

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Zita Short

InSession Film

Feb 7, 2023

D

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.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

May 29, 2022

3/4

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.

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Stephen F

May 23, 2026

to see how music groups start off with just an idea and a goal. then when it works out, we think it looks so E-Z.🤔

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Joshua C

May 23, 2026

Phenomenal film. Crazy big budget

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Damon

Mar 18, 2025

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

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Sara

Jan 5, 2025

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

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Richcard T

@Rtlomot Sep 15, 2026

The most revealing flaw in Straight Outta Compton is how its mise‑en‑scène unintentionally frames Eazy‑E and Jerry Heller with the visual grammar of romantic intimacy, creating a symbolic contradiction the narrative never acknowledges. Scene after scene even though the script insists on a manipulative manager–artist dynamic, the camera repeatedly codes their relationship as tender, bonded, and emotionally close, inviting a reading the filmmakers clearly did not intend. This becomes especially problematic once the film introduces AIDS, a disease historically and falsely associated with homosexuality during Eazy‑E’s lifetime. The visual intimacy between the two men collides with this loaded cultural symbol, and the tension intensifies when Eazy-E delivers an emotionally raw denial of being gay — a moment that feels like a response to an implication the film itself accidentally created. The camera tells one story, the script tells another, and the film never reconciles the two.

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Chris K

@RT23305087 Sep 4, 2026

Finally got around to watching this movie. I was so excited! It started off really great. Overall it was meh. It was like the writers lost interest and didn't know what to do with the film. The source material deserved much better. It's a great hip hop fan circle jerk. My guess is that everyone who loves it just wanted to love it and made themselved love it. Pretty disappointed.

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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

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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, Scott Bernstein, Dr. Dre
Screenwriter: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Circle of Confusion, New Line Cinema, 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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