DETROIT (WWJ) – Don’t let the weekend box office numbers fool you. “The Best of Enemies” is an excellent, very-well-made movie that deserves a huge audience. Undoubtedly, the reason the movie fell below expectations on its opening weekend is that it had the unfortunate timing to be released in theaters the same weekend as “SHAZAM’. I reviewed SHAZAM as well, and I gave it an excellent review, so it’s no surprise that it exceeded expectations. It is, after all, based on a superhero (something that audiences seem to love more and more) and it’s a lighthearted fun movie that everyone can enjoy.
While an excellent movie just the same, “The Best of Enemies” is a serious movie that tackles a tough subject; one that some people are going to shy away from. Why? Because some people probably don’t want to be reminded of the difficult civil rights struggles of our ancestors. It’s also a movie that some people wouldn’t take their kids to see, preferring instead to see something more amusing.
Whether either one of those are the reasons or not, I highly recommend seeing this movie. Young people who may not be familiar with the fight for civil rights need to know history. Others who do know about such civil rights icons as Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, Rosa Parks, Julian Bond, John Lewis – there are just too many to name – still may not know about outspoken civil rights activist Ann Atwater. Back in 1971, Atwater fought hard against the Ku Klux Klan in Durham, North Carolina. While Atwater was trying to desegregate the city’s schools, the KKK was vehemently opposed to it. Although reluctant, the local KKK leader, C.P. Ellis, however, agreed to co-chair a community summit over the issue. Little did he know what awaited him and how his participation was going to change the course of history.
Taraji P. Henson is convincing as Atwater (her acting skills are already top-notch, but they just keep getting better and better with every movie). And Sam Rockwell is equally as good as Ellis. In fact, the entire cast does a phenomenal job, including Babou Ceesay, who stars as the summit’s moderator, Bill Riddick.
“The Best of Enemies” is an excellent movie with an important message. Go see it.
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Member:
Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA)
Detroit Film Critics Society (DFCS)
African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)
SAG-AFTRA