The Hate U Give Review

The Hate U Give is a great drama filled with fantastic acting and a heavy dose of political commentary. This movie is about a girl named Starr who witnesses the shooting of her best friend at the hands of a police officer. As tensions rise, Starr must stand up for her friend. Amandla Stenberg gives a fantastic and powerful performance. This is an extremely difficult role to play correctly and I thought she was perfect. Russel Hornsby gives an excellent performance as Starr’s dad. The relationship between Hornsby and Stenberg is powerful and believable. Common gives a great performance in a crucial supporting role. His key monologue is one of the film’s best scenes. Anthony Mackie and K.J. Apa both give really good performances in smaller roles. George Tillman Jr. did a great job directing. He wisely increases the tension as the film progresses culminating in a scene that had me holding my breath. The script is fantastic with well written and likable main characters. The cinematography is cool and unique utilizing very different colors depending on the scene. At 133 minutes this movie moves at a surprisingly fast pace rarely slowing down at all once it gets going. As for flaws, there were a few scenes early in the first act that felt very out of place. Overall The Hate U Give is a fantastic drama with some powerful and emotional moments.

8/10