Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2020
Red, White and Blue (film)
Buy Red, White and Blue (film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'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.
Cast
* John Boyega as Leroy Logan
** Nathan Vidal as Young Logan
* Steve Toussaint as Ken Logan
* Joy Richardson as Mrs. Logan
* Corey Peterson as Philford
* Neil Maskell as Inspector Willis
* Stephen Boxer as Chief Inspector
* Calum Callaghan as PC Beck
* Conor Lowson as TPC David
* Assad Zaman as PC Asif Kamali
* Antonia Thomas as Gretl
* Liam Garrigan as Greg Huggan
* Tyrone Huntley as Leee John
** Jaden Oshenye as Young Leee
* Nadine Marshall as Jesse John
* Mark Stanley as Ed Harrigan
* Seroca Davis as Hyacinth
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'.
Critical reception
Review aggregator Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." 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."
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 thatd been suppressed to that point." Odie Henderson, reviewing the film for 'RogerEbert.com', wrote that it "is not a coddling film. Its 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 Leroys loneliness very well, and you feel his desire for an ally, a friend or, most notably, a running buddy who looks like him."
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'. 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."
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'.
The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of best films from 2020.
References
Category:2020 films
Category:2020 drama films
Category:British drama films
Category:2020s historical drama films
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:2020s British films
Buy Red, White and Blue (film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2020