The Best of Enemies - Blu-ray Review

Michael Scott

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The Best of Enemies


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Movie: :4stars:
Video: :4.5stars:
Audio::4stars:
Extras: :2.5stars:
Final Score: :4stars:



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Movie

The Best of Enemies was a film that I initially passed on by as it seemed to be a bit “DTV” ish in nature as I didn’t remember it being in theaters very long. Then I started watching the clips and trailers on YouTube, and began to get pulled into the real life story of C.P. Ellis and his drastic transformation. Based off of a book by the same name, The Best of Enemies chronicles the burgeoning friendship of the Cyclops of the KKK chapter of Durham, North Carolina and a black civil rights activist named Ann Atwater. Ellis began to form a begrudging relationship with the activist when the issue of school racial integration came up, and over the course of time began to actually sympathize with her plight, and finally end up tearing his KKK membership card on stage in front of the entire town and renounce said membership while voting yes to racial integration.

Well, with Sam Rockwell AND Taraji P. Henson I was getting intrigued. I’d watch Sam Rockwell chew bubblegum for 2 hours straight, as the man just can’t turn in a bad performance, and Taraji P. Henson has become a great actress over the last 15 years or so. To summarize the rest of the review, I was shocked at how good The Best of Enemies actually was. The film revolves around Sam and Taraji to such an extent, and their performances exceeded that of everyone around them to such a large extent that I almost forgot that there were other actors and actresses in the movie! There’s a few issues with the pacing in the center half, and I felt the friendship aspect of C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater could have been fleshed out just a little bit more, but overall this was a really great movie.

Back in 1971 the actual effects of the civil rights lawsuits hadn’t really trickled down into general society in a huge way. Sure black people could vote, had their rights restored and such, but ACTUAL implementation of those laws were stymied a bit by the latent racism and resentment that festered in small town America (especially in the Southern states). Cops would “look the other way” when something happened to a black person, and while the Ku Klux Klan was severely neutered at this point in history (they were more of a “club” back in the 1970s rather than the vigilante force that they were in decades past) they still had quite a following in white establishment groups and were still feared for the physical violence they could bring. After a black school in Durham burns to the ground, activist Ann Atwater begins a lawsuit with the NAACP to get the town council to authorize racial integration so that the students could finish out their schooling peace, without the need to slum it in a burnt out building.

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Naturally the town council stymied the action to a certain extent, but when it went above their heads to the governor, things start to get interesting. Instead of just laying down a mandate, the cowardly politicians decided to bring in an outsider named Bill Riddick (Babou Ceesay) to hold a Charrette, which is basically a council of 12 members, 6 from each side of the argument, to discuss and eventually vote upon the issues. Naturally C.P Ellis as head of the town’s KKK element became head of the “no” side, while Ann headed up the “yes” side. As the two argued, connived, wheedled and basically talked themselves hoarse, something began to change. C.P. started to realize that he had more in common with Ann than he had originally thought. While he was raised to hate black people, he started to see the wisdom of her plan and the connection of their poverty formed a link between the two of them. Both of them were dirt poor, both of them were on the bottom rung of the social ladder, and somehow they were pitted against each other. With each passing day C.P.’s built of hatred begins to fade, and Ann’s resentment towards the white supremacist broke down until there is nothing left but the camaraderie that is formed under the forging of fire and conflict

As I said, The Best of Enemies was WAY better than I was expecting. Sam Rockwell and Taraji were absolutely phenomenal in their roles (seriously, Sam Rockwell can’t turn in a bad performance), and the movie hit all the right spots. Honestly, movies about race can be a bit wearing in this day and age. Everyone is on edge from both sides of the political spectrum, with one side calling the other racist, while the other screams “SJW” till their both blue in the face. Race related movies end up being used as weapons instead of healing instruments, and I tend to watch them with a bit of nervous hesitancy in hopes of not being bombarded with such characteristics. Luckily The Best of Enemies takes the healing approach, showing how opinions and stances can change due to friendship and finding common ground. I found it interesting how the real life story (and that of the movie) has C.P. Ellis changing his mind not for any high and mighty reasons, but rather coming to the realization that integration and racial divides were keeping them BOTH down. Not only were the black people suffering, but poor white folk were suffering too, as the divide only further alienated them from a section of the world. Reading up on the true story is even more fascinating, and the real friendship of C.P. and Ann is ever better than the movie. Both of them became life long FRIENDS who lasted until his death in 2005, and her finally passing in 2016 (which prompted the creation of this movie). All in all, I really really enjoyed this one as a surprise hit.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, racial epithets, some violence and a suggestive reference




Video: :4stars:
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I couldn’t find much information about the shooting style of the 2.39:1 framed film, but from what I can tell it’s DEFINITELY a digital shoot. The movie is glossy and clean, with plenty of fine detail all around with nary a hint of grain. The colors are fairly natural, with only a very slight teal color grading that is combined with some amber highlights in minimal amounts. Primaries like green and blue tend to pop more than anything, but a few other splashes of red coloring on a shirt, or the brown of a passing car is sure to strike the eye. Black levels are very good, with only minimal washing out in a few shots. Shadow detailing is impressive, as is the entire film (whether long shots or up close facials). The slightly warm hue to the colors and the cool teal grading make it seem just a teensy bit soft, but not enough to truly diminish how great the digital film looks on Blu-ray.









Audio: :5stars:
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The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track does exactly what one would expect for a drama like this. The mix is very forward heavy, with tons of dialog and not a whole lot of any action. When C.P. and his friends are at the shooting range we get to hear a few sonic blasts, and the surrounds kick up with chirping birds and the resounding echoes of gunshots. The same can be said for the roaring and bellowing of the people in the auditorium when the vote happens. Otherwise this is a very demure and laid back track with minimal LFE except for the score and the applause. It’s a solid mix, and one that sounds really good even though it’s not really designed to be a show stopper.







Extras: :2.5stars:
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Make a Connection - Featurette
• Ann Atwater - Featurette
• An Unlikely Friendship - Featurette
• Theatrical Trailer















Final Score: :4stars:


Robin Bissell has done an excellent job for his first time writing and directing a feature film (up until now all he has done is produce), and both Rockwell and Henson knock the roll out of the park. That finale on the voting floor is predictable if you know the back story, but still one of the most rousing and powerful scenes of the whole movie. Universal did a fantastic job with the Blu-ray, giving us good audio, great video and a decent amount of extras to enjoy (even if they’re not the most copious). Definitely a great watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Anne Heche, Wes Bentley, Nick Searcy, Babou Ceesay, Bruce McGill, Caitlin Mehner
Directed by: Robin Bissell
Written by: Robin Bissell
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 133 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: July 9th, 2019
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Recommendation: Great Watch

 
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tripplej

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Thanks for the review. Never heard of this movie but will check it out.
 
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