Use of Force: The Policing of Black America

Use of Force: The Policing of Black America_720p(480P)

source: Use of Force: The Policing of Black America

I've been reviewing movies for my blog and other sites for about five years now, but I have to say that this is the first time I've watched a movie with the intent of reviewing it. It's a good movie. Not fantastic, but good.

At 1/10, this is still overrated. Doesn't try to face facts. This is an issue that should be taken seriously and get examined and cross-examined, but unfortunately, that's not the goal here. This flick is pure political propaganda without any real value.

First off, police violence against 'civilians' (the fact that they even call us that is indicative of a military battlefield mindset that's taken hold) is out of control. ALL civilians, not just Black and brown people. Tony Timpa, Daniel Shaver (video of whose murder was briefly shown in this movie), just two of the names that come to mind when thinking about sadistic police violence. Am I saying "All Lives Matter"? Yes, I am but that's not detracting from the disproportionately bad treatment that minorities and especially Black folks have gotten from police dating back to when police were first conceived of in the USA. But I'm not here to provide a history lesson. This film was a repeat of numerous other similar films and television programs of the last 4-5 years, but it's still worth watching. The only way things will change is for people to become informed. And this movie does a good job of presenting its case. To the reviewer who said this was "one-sided" LOL, you obviously didn't watch it. The entire 2nd half of the movie is dedicated to giving police a voice. It's almost all interviews with police officers, former police officers and department chiefs. Police forces have unions, generally easy access to the media, generally a good reputation in the eyes of most non-minorities and therefore have many ways in which to air their own concerns (as they so often do - see the LA cops who were just fired for putting a sign up in the precinct's door saying they were defunded and therefore were not available. That was a lie, it was a COVID outbreak in the dept.). Rather than being "defunded", in nearly every single case where that was proposed, the PD got an INCREASED budget! Furthermore, they have police unions (benevolent whatever) who are basically a PR mouthpiece for the police department. Police don't seem to have a problem with their own unions, but they're first in line to break a strike by other government and commercial unions. Again, I digress. Chuck D could've done a better job in narration, but I suppose it could also have been worse. This is another important documentary designed to keep the message in the public's ears and eyes. White people are killed - and unarmed ones too - by police all the time with equal repurcussions to what happens when a Black person is killed, namely ZERO, thanks to "qualified immunity." For that reason, I wish the filmmakers would have also at least mentioned that an out of control PD is bad for us ALL. I can see some viewers complaining that this is divisive, grouping everyone else against white people, but at the end of the day it's necessary information and the more people who see it, the better. 6.4 stars rounded down to 6 because nothing novel or different in terms of filmmaking.

Many people won't like this movie for the very reason they're a great part of the problem. All races of the new generation aren't looking the other way.

Gave it a ten to balance out the negative ratings by those who probably never watched the film. Real score would be a 7.5. The first half of the film is mostly the stories fo the victims of police violence. The second half is mostly the voices of the police and those in the legal system trying to effect changes and speak to concerns they have about their own safety. As a film, it moves briskly through the standard documentary format of interviews interspersed with the famous/infamous video footage most of us have seen. As the focus is broad, there is no discussion of any of the cases in a detailed manner. Charging the film with being a proganda piece because of this is unfair. If the filmmakers had left out representatives of the law enforcement/justice community then that charge could possibly be made. But they did not do that. In fact, I was rather surprised there was no time given to anyone holding an "abolish the police" positoin. I think the filmmakers were being careful not to alienate a white audience they were hoping to gain empathy from. Or again, they simply didn't see that as the focus of the film they were making. As an effective instructional/enlightening instrument, it is fairly effective. While one might wish for a bit more attention to police violence/abuse against all citizens, that was not the intent of this project. Surely there are others who have or will soon cover this topic from that broader perspective.

Use of Force: The Policing of Black America