Vince East’s review published on Letterboxd:
Pretty Great -> 2021 Ranking (#1/10) & A Favorite Movie For Each Year I’ve Been Alive
Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield reunite to give career best performances in this timely, powerful and beautifully crafted film. Kaluuya incredibly captures Fred Hampton and is an emphatically commanding presence whenever he is on screen, especially during his “revolutionary” speech. Stanfield also nails his portrayal of Bill O’Neal and you can tell how incredibly taxing it was for him to take on such a role. The acting is top notch all around with very impressive work from Dominique Fishback and Jesse Plemmons among others.
The crew also deserves praise and Shaka King’s decision to not make this a full on biopic pays off as the film manages to escape a lot of those tropes and feels much more cinematic thanks in part to some striking cinematography. The film is as educational as it is entertaining and it’s infuriating to see how relevant these social issues still are in regards to the state of our country today. Overall, I don’t really have any complaints with a film like this. It’s my favorite movie of the year so far and I’ll be very upset if Kaluuya is snubbed at the Oscars.
