Fruitvale Station Movie Review

May contain some spoilers!!!

Fruitvale Station released July 2013 but you may not have heard too much about it for the simple fact that it didn't get a huge amount of advertising like some summer blockbusters did. Nonetheless Fruitvale Station was such a great and powerful film that shines a light on some of the darker elements of the society we live in today. It was written and directed by Ryan Coogler and starred Michael B. Jordan as Oscar Grant III, a resident of the Bay Area.

To start off I'd like to inform you that this film is based on a true story and that's made pretty clear in the opening scene. The film kicks off with shaky, grainy footage of an incident on a train platform. It's clear that police are being physical and the clip ends with a gunshot being fired into someones back . I was taken aback when I saw this because it wasn't something I was expecting to see 2 minutes into the film.

So then we're thrown into the life of Oscar Grant on New Years Eve 2008. We can see that Oscar has had a troubled past but is attempting to really get his life in order. Despite this, nothing seems to be going his way. We're introduced to his mother, girlfriend, and daughter rather early on in the film and it doesn't take long to form an emotional connection with the character. I feel like Jordan did such a magnificent job portraying Oscar and all his strengths and faults.

Oscar struggles to be a better father, a better son, a better partner, and ultimately a better man. But as he knows, nothing in life comes easy. After a nice family dinner Oscar is eager to go out for the night and have a good New Years celebration with friends. But along the way there are some bumps in the road that were just unavoidable.

Fruitvale Station takes you on a compelling ride of storytelling and emotions that will leave you in awe. Brought together by a strong cast and Michael B. Jordan's incredible performance, I give Fruitvale Station a 8.5 out of 10. Recommend to anyone who wants to watch a tragic story beautifully portrayed on film.