Selma - Movie Review

Rating: 5 out of 5

One of the finest biopics in recent memory, this drama manages to present someone as iconic as Martin Luther King Jr. as a normal man anyone can aspire to emulate. Anchored by an internalised performance from David Oyelowo, the film is skilfully directed by Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere) with a sharp attention to subtle details. And the script by newcomer Paul Webb draws the characters with such complexity that the film has provoked controversy from people who like their heroes untextured.

The film enters Martin's story as he is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside his activist wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) in October 1964, just over a year after his soaring "I have a dream" speech. And a few months later, he's called to Selma, Alabama, to help blacks who are being denied the right to vote by racially motivated voter registration laws. Martin meets with President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), who has more pressing things on his political agenda, then heads to Selma to lead a march on the state capitol in Montgomery. But the peaceful protest is met with nightmarish violence, ordered by Governor George Wallace (Tim Roth). So as the protesters regroup and plan a second march, Martin heads back to Washington to challenge Johnson to set some new priorities.

Cleverly, the script just covers a few months, punctuated with a series of King's most rousing speeches. Since none of this is presented for its big inspirational value, it has a much stronger kick than we expect. The film's punchiest scenes are almost silent, as King struggles to knot his tie before an appearance or fails to find the words to confess his infidelities to his wife. Oyelowo is so transparent in the role that King emerges as an everyday man with a gift for oratory in the right place at the right time. But it's his steely desire to do the right thing that makes him inspirational. And how he reacts when he discovers the human cost of his actions.

All of the acting is revelatory. Wilkinson brings layers of complexity to Johnson, who sometimes feels like the bad guy but is clearly on the right side from the start. Roth is even more mesmerising as the deeply racist Wallace. And there are pointed cameos from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Martin Sheen, Dylan Baker and Cuba Gooding Jr. Meanwhile, DuVernay's direction is so beautifully sure-handed that it keeps us breathlessly glued to the screen. By refusing to play to the myth, she has created a film about real people dealing with huge issues that are as timely today as they were 50 years ago.

Selma Trailer

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Facts and Figures

Year: 2014

Genre: Dramas

Run time: 128 mins

In Theaters: Friday 9th January 2015

Box Office USA: $2.1M

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Production compaines: Harpo Films, Cloud Eight Films, Celador Films

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 5 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Fresh: 79

IMDB: 7.7 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: Ava DuVernay

Producer: Oprah Winfrey, Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner

Screenwriter: Paul Webb

Starring: David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Tom Wilkinson as Lyndon Baines Johnson, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Andre Holland as Andrew Young, Omar J. Dorsey as James Orange, Alessandro Nivola as John Doar, Giovanni Ribisi as Lee White, Colman Domingo as Ralph Abernathy, Oprah Winfrey as Annie Lee Cooper, Tim Roth as Gov. George Wallace, Common as James Bevel, Cuba Gooding Jr. as Fred Gray, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Bayard Rustin, Tessa Thompson as Diane Nash, Lorraine Toussaint as Amelia Boynton, David Dwyer as Chief Wilson Baker, E. Roger Mitchell as Frederick Reese, Dylan Baker as J. Edgar Hoover, Ledisi Young as Mahalia Jackson, Kent Faulcon as Sullivan Jackson, Niecy Nash as Richie Jean Jackson, Corey Reynolds as Rev. C.T. Vivian, Wendell Pierce as Rev. Hosea Williams, Stephan James as John Lewis, Keith Stanfield as Jimmie Lee Jackson, Charity Jordan as Viola Lee Jackson, Trai Byers as James Forman, Stan Houston as Sheriff Jim Clark, Nigel Thatch as Malcolm X, Jeremy Strong as James Reeb, Tara Ochs as Viola Liuzzo, Martin Sheen as Frank Minis Johnson

Also starring: Cuba Gooding Junior, Christian Colson