Red, White and Blue (film)

Red, White and Blue is a 2020 historical drama film directed by Steve McQueen and co-written by McQueen and Courttia Newland. It stars John Boyega as Leroy Logan, an officer in the London Metropolitan Police who founded the Black Police Association and attempted to reform the police force from within. The film was released as part of the anthology series Small Axe on BBC One on 29 November 2020, and released on Amazon Prime Video on 4 December 2020. It premiered as an opening film at the 58th New York Film Festival on 24 September 2020.[1]

Red, White and Blue
Directed bySteve McQueen
Written bySteve McQueen
Courttia Newland
Distributed byBBC One
Amazon Prime Video
Release date
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Cast

Release

The film premiered at the 2020 New York Film Festival, which was held virtually, shown alongside two other films from Steve McQueen's Small Axe series, Mangrove and Lovers Rock.[2]

Critical reception

Review aggregator Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."[3] On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "An urgent and timely biopic that's as sumptuous as it is searing, Red, White, and Blue is a triumph that gives the undeniably talented John Boyega the starring role he deserves."[4]

Critics praised the film for evoking a sense of urgency and anger. K. Austin Collins of Rolling Stone wrote that "The tense urgency we feel throughout this movie owes in great part to its structure, which, particularly in some of the argumentative family scenes, has a way of dredging up a thousand things at once, because any one rift risks giving everyone the excuse to lay bare all the despair and disagreement that’d been suppressed to that point."[5] Odie Henderson, reviewing the film for RogerEbert.com, wrote that it "is not a coddling film. It’s an angry one, a tricky meditation that forces you to put yourself in the shoes of someone you might actually consider a traitor or a fool. Boyega, who is fantastic, wears the burden of Leroy’s loneliness very well, and you feel his desire for an ally, a friend or, most notably, a running buddy who looks like him."[6]

John Boyega's lead performance received acclaim. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that Boyega "takes his career to the next level with a heroic and even tragic portrayal of Logan," and compared the performance to Al Pacino's in Serpico.[7] Kevin Maher of The Times called it Boyega's "most commanding" performance, commending his "simmering restraint, with wide-eyed naivety and with brief moments of fulminating rage."[8]

Writing for The Ringer, Justin Charity observed that the film "hinges on the classic contest within minority groups: assimilation versus subversion," and compared its complex portrayal of bigoted police officers favorably to the anthology series Lovecraft Country.[9]

The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of best films from 2020.[10]

References
  1. Fleming Jr., Mike (3 August 2020). "New York Film Festival Sets Steve McQueen's 'Lovers Rock' For Opening Night; Drive-Ins, Virtual Showings To Supplement Possible Lincoln Center Screenings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  2. Chang, Justin (12 October 2020). "Even from home, this year's New York Film Festival was a virtual celebration of cinema's power". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  3. "Red, White and Blue Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  4. "Red, White and Blue (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  5. Collins, K. Austin (5 December 2020). "In 'Red White, and Blue,' Steve McQueen Exhibits One of His Most Exciting Modes as a Director: Cool Anger". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  6. Henderson, Odie (4 December 2020). "Small Axe: Red, White and Blue movie review (2020) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  7. Bradshaw, Peter (3 October 2020). "Red, White and Blue review – Steve McQueen and John Boyega hit gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  8. Maher, Kevin (5 October 2020). "Red, White and Blue review — brilliant John Boyega shows his star quality in real-life role". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  9. Charity, Justin (7 December 2020). "Assimilation or Subversion in Steve McQueen's 'Red, White, and Blue'". The Ringer. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  10. Dietz, Jason (9 January 2020). "Best of 2020: Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 January 2021.

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