Queen & Slim review

QUEEN & SLIM: 

MODERN-DAY TAKE ON BONNIE AND CLYDE IS A GRIPPING AND POWERFUL EXPERIENCE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya as Queen & Slim

            An African American couple is on the run from the law after killing a police officer in self-defense when a traffic stop goes horribly wrong in Queen & Slim, the directorial debut of Melina Matsoukas and a modern take on the notorious crime couple Bonnie and Clyde. The best I can describe is imagine if the 1967 Bonnie and Clyde movie or Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise except directed by Jordan Peele or Spike Lee, that’s pretty much the movie in a nutshell and it works remarkably well. 

            Despite only seeing the film’s trailer a couple of times in theaters and getting it mixed up with Black and Blue, which came out earlier this year, Queen & Slim had me hooked and was invested in the two leads all the way through. It’s a gripping fugitive story that has you on the edge of your seat while making you think of its timely and relevant themes at the same time without ever feeling forced.

            The film follows criminal defense attorney Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith-The Last Ship, Nightflyers, Jett) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya-Get Out, Black Panther, Widows) on their first date at a diner in Ohio, while driving home they get pulled over by a police officer due to Slim’s presumably reckless driving and asks him to step out of the car. Unfortunately for them, the officer is easily agitated and despite Queen and Slim following his orders he draws out his gun and tries to shoot Slim, but he tackles him, takes the gun, and kills the officer in self-defense. 

            Terrified of the consequences of their actions Queen and Slim are forced to go on the run from the police to someplace safe. But the incident is caught on video and goes viral, and the couple unintentionally become symbols of trauma, terror, pain, and grief all across the country. 

            The film also stars Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo (TV series), Underground, Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Uncle Earl, Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho, Big Love) as Mrs. Shepherd, Flea (Back to the Future: Parts II and III, Baby Driver, Boy Erased) as Mr. Shepherd, Sturgill Simpson (The Dead Don’t Die, The Hunt) as Officer Reed, and Indya Moore (Saturday Church, Pose) as Goddess. 

            Overall, Queen & Slim brings a thrilling fugitive story to the screen while taking a detour through its timely and powerful themes of race and police brutality with outstanding performances by Turner-Smith and Kaluuya as the heart and soul of the film. Both characters are very relatable especially Slim, he’s the chill, down-to-earth guy you’d want to hang out with and cares about his girlfriend and even after unintentionally killing a cop in self-defense you root for him and Queen to escape and can get behind them, Queen is very supportive and just as frightened about the situation as Slim but at times she can be rather bossy and a little harder to like compared to Slim but she comes through and both Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith are giving their all in their performances. 

            The plot is your basic fugitive from the law setup we’ve seen in other shows and movies, but with some thoughtful social themes of race, police brutality, and psychological trauma tucked inside which is where the movie shines. Similar to last year’s BlacKkKlansman the film gives you pretty much what you expected but by the end it hits you in the face with cold, harsh reality and one hell of a final act.

             I had no idea where the chase was going and I was completely speechless when the credits rolled, it doesn’t quite go the way you’d expect, I’ll just leave it at that. Even though the premise isn’t all that new, the execution and acting made it feel like I was hearing the story for the very first time with some familiar nods to other films in the genre.

            If I had to nitpick something about this movie, it slightly drags during the last act and it isn’t to the point where it’s slow and boring, but things could have wrapped up a little earlier. At least in my opinion the first half is stronger than the second, but the second half doesn’t ruin the movie, it just felt a little slow to me. 

             Queen & Slim adds a whole new spin to the Bonnie and Clyde story helmed by its engaging leads while also providing thoughtful and timely social commentary on police brutality and race and shows a bright future for director Melina Matsoukas. If you enjoyed films like Straight Outta Compton, Green Book, or BlacKkKlansman and want to see another intense but also poignant and intelligently crafted vision of the gritty world of American society then this is definitely a ride to check out.