In the summer of 1967, rioting and civil unrest starts to tear apart the city of Detroit. Two days later, a report of gunshots prompts the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Army National Guard to search and seize an annex of the nearby Algiers Motel.

Several policemen start to flout procedure by forcefully and viciously interrogating guests to get a confession. By the end of the night, three unarmed men are gunned down while several others are brutally beaten.

Review

“The Chairman” – Walking out of this movie I was mad, but don’t get me wrong the movie was a brilliant story of the nature of violence. What made me mad was the fact that Detroit was set in 1967, but this could so easily have occurred today. It would have been brushed it off as another police incident gone bad. Sadly the world hasn’t moved on. Given that we have just gone passed the anniversary of the Marikana Massacre we are reminded that encounters with police can leave a scar on everyone the story reaches.

Kathryn Bigelow (Director) & Mark Boal (Writer) join forces again to tell the untold story of the senseless killing of three black men at the Algiers Motel. Their ability to immerse you into this tragedy is done so well and with such detail the viewing audience is paralyzed in fear. This must be one of the most uncomfortable movies to watch, and will draw out all empathy from your body.

Bigelow’s shaky-cam is utilized the way it should (I am looking at you Greengrass), it’s not jarring and brings you further into an already compelling story. The performance of Will Poulter is Oscar-winning. Everyone should go see this, especially given the state of the world we are living. 9/10

Do you agree with The Chairman? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.