Small Axe - Red, White and Blue (2020) Review 

So another week and another film from The Small Axe collection called Red, White & Blue, and I have watched it and here is my review for it. The premise is based on a true story where a Black man sees his Father get assaulted by police officers, which motivates him to join the Police Force and attempt to change the racist attitudes from within. 

Main Character

John Boyega has been in the news a lot this year for important subject matters and he is fantastic here and you can just tell he has lots of passion for this role. He delivers a really strong performance and you really want to support him and see him succeed in his mission which is very just and very deserved in terms with his overall goal. 

Supporting Characters

Steve Toussaint plays his Father in the film and he is really good here, there is an incredibly powerful scene involving him and he is great in this film, the relationship between him and Boyega is portrayed in a very strong way and it is part of the lifeblood of the film. The rest of the cast are great too, everyone whether it be family, friends or the other police officers everybody delivers a really strong and real performance. 

Story

The story does what it intends to, it highlights just how bad things got in the British Police Force in The UK and it does a good job of following this one man on his crusade. I actually thought this film did a really good job in not having every white person be racist, yes there are bad people but there are also good people and that isn't always highlighted and I am glad it is here. I also really liked how when Boyega's character joins the Police, his position changes in the Black community which again isn't something that is explored to often. But this film does have a few plot points that aren't finished off and feel a bit tacked on and the film ends really abruptly and you are kind of left unfulfilled. 

Script

The script is quite good, the script does a good job of putting in the casual racism elements to not make it in your face all the time, also this film does have some nice bits of humour and touching moments to help flesh out a couple of characters. But the script does a bit of a poorer job of balancing the plot lines and I felt like even though the film does the casual racist stuff well, it never hits the dark levels that you would expect especially when you consider Mangrove is in the Small Axe collection too. 

Style 

The film has a good style to it, it just feels very real and authentic in how it is told and deals with the subject matter in a respectful but powerful way. But this film is a bit slow in its pacing, especially in its first act which really takes its time. Also this film has a bit of a timing issue, he literally joins the police and then one scene later he is looking for a promotion, it just seems like a lot happens off screen and the film could have done with a longer runtime like Mangrove in order to tell its full story. 

Overall

Overall, this film is a good addition to The Small Axe collection and is a strong showing for John Boyega in a solid film. I would say this film is worth a watch, but watch Mangrove first as I feel like the two films are good comparison pieces. 

Rating - 7/10