WHAT’S IT ABOUT
While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a black man (Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya) and a black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith, in her first starring feature-film role), are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escalates, with sudden and tragic results, when the man kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly becomes a symbol of trauma, terror, grief, and pain for people across the country.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
With the influx of “dirty cop” movies lately, it seems Hollywood wants to cash in on the despair of Black people. This is nothing new, Tinsel Town has always found ways of profiting off of African Americans. From minstrels to Blaxploitation, the big studios had their hand in it. So what’s the most significant difference between then and now? We no longer need to rely on the big studios. With films like Don’t Let Go and Black and Blue, the hardships of African Americans in this country can finally be told with honesty without the fear of a CEO’s hard edit or denial. Now we have Queen & Slim. The next great chapter to showcase the unfair treatment of Black people at the hands of the law. As everyone knows from the trailer, two Black people (Queen and Slim) were pulled over by an officer. This officer obviously wanted to kill a Black person that night, so he escalates the situation. Once he shoots Queen, Slim tackles, the cop gets his gun and shoots. If they were White, this would be pure self-defense. Correction, if they were White, they would have never been pulled over. Anyway, scared and traumatized, Queen and Slim leave the scene. From this point on, they are considered armed and dangerous cop killers. As they try to figure out what they need to do, they quickly realized the entire country is looking for them. And just as it is in real life, some people want them dead, while others view them as heroes. This is art imitating life. Queen & Slim is a very relatable film considering the recent shootings, protests, and unlawful treatment of Black people. I highly recommend seeing this film as opposed to hearing about it. Finally, don’t prejudge this film before you see. It’s not as black and white as you might think, and you will have a lot to think about after seeing Queen & Slim.
OUR RATING – A TRUE 9.5
Media
- Genre – Drama
- Street date
- Digital – February 18th 2020
- DVD/Blu-Ray/4K – March 3rd 2020
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 2.39:1
- Sound – English: Dolby Atmos, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles – English SDH, Spanish
Extras
- Feature Commentary with Director/Producer Melina Matsoukas and Writer/Producer Lena Waithe
- A Deeper Meaning – Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, and filmmakers discuss the complicated journeys of Queen & Slim and explore the deeper meanings of how far these characters have come from where they began.
- Melina & Lena – A behind-the-scenes look at the creative partnership between director/producer Melina Matsoukas and screenwriter/producer Lena Waithe.
- Off The Script – Screenwriter Lena Waithe reads from her original screenplay for Queen & Slim.
- On The Run With Queen & Slim – Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew of Queen & Slim as they film in Cleveland and New Orleans.