Mangrove (2020)

Director: Steve McQueen
Stars: Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright, Malachi Kirby
Runtime: 124 minutes

Synopsis: Mangrove tells this true story of The Mangrove Nine, who clashed with London police in 1970. The trial that followed was the first judicial acknowledgment of behavior motivated by racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police.

Verdict: Barely a month after Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of the trial of the Chicago Seven hit Netflix worldwide, another dramatization of very similar events served as the first chapter of Steve McQueen's collection of five films released under the title of "Small Axe". "Mangrove", which is the name of the episode if you want to call it that, is the true story of the Mangrove Nine, a group of activists arrested after a demonstration denouncing police brutality against people of color in London turned violent.

It's yet another eye-opening and powerful statement about the systemic racism that has been poisoning the justice system since the 1960s. A reminder that the idea that all people are treated fairly and equally was and continues to be nothing but an illusion, even in western countries that pride themselves in being a safe haven for all.

On a technical side, I'd consider this project to be superior in every way to Sorkin's movie to which the comparison is inevitable considering how similar the subject matters are, but unfortunately inferior to McQueen's previous work. In fact, it rarely even feels like it was directed by the Oscar-winning director, whose trademark patient approach to filmmaking is missing. It adopts an energetic, dialogue-driven personality that didn't always work for me as it rushed the narrative instead of slowly allowing it to take over the audience.

But "Mangrove" still manages to achieve its goals in a resounding manner thanks to fantastic performances, beautiful cinematography, and a story that to this day still is sadly relevant. In a year that saw the subjects of police brutality and systemic racism be on everyone's minds for extremely tragic reasons, I'd consider this one a must. 

FINAL GRADE: 7/10