Ejiofor Shines in Inspiring True Story of ‘Rob Peace’

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Ejiofor Shines in Inspiring True Story of ‘Rob Peace’

Here is the rewritten article: What Is 'Rob Peace' About? We first meet Robert DeShaun Peace (Jelani Dacres) in 1980's East Orange, N.J., at age 7. Hi

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Here is the rewritten article:

What Is ‘Rob Peace’ About?

We first meet Robert DeShaun Peace (Jelani Dacres) in 1980’s East Orange, N.J., at age 7. His dad, Skeet Douglas (Ejiofor), deadbeat and manipulative, accuses him of farting and ejects him from a car. But it turns out that the old man needs to retrieve a gun from the glove compartment and simply doesn’t want the boy there when he does it. See, Skeet can be both considerate and traumatizing to his son. In the very next scene, he receives a life sentence for double murder.

A Politically Charged Montage

A politically charged montage in the opening, featuring imagery of police brutality and a neighborhood engulfed in flames, all accompanied by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s "The Message," signals the film’s scope and ambition. While it delivers on that premise, it does so with the approach of an after-school special.

The Film’s Flaws

The most glaring flaw has to be Jeff Russo’s mawkish score. A conscious choice has been made with the film’s title to excise the spoiler-y parts in Hobbs’ book title, but Russo’s score basically serves the same function. The music imbues an overall sense of dread. It is unbearably hokum; instead of showing respect to the real-life people or subtly foreshadowing the tragedy, it mostly browbeats the audience into feeling bad. The end result is insufferably predictable and didactic. Even the occasional Layzie Bone and Ludacris on the soundtrack doesn’t liven things up in the slightest. Yes, Peace had a tough life, but he also had hard-fought wins worth celebrating.

The Cast and Direction

Ejiofor excels in directing actors, but struggles with storytelling. The cast does a good job of bringing the story to life, but the experience is dominated by ham-fisted filmmaking. Everything is too predictable, reducing a complicated life with much worth celebrating into a one-note film.

Conclusion

Rob Peace has elements of a compelling true story at its core, but the execution of how it comes together doesn’t do right by them. The film’s predictable and didactic approach ultimately does a disservice to the real-life events and people it’s trying to honor.

FAQs

  • When is the film released in U.S. theaters?
    • August 16
  • Can I buy tickets now?

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