Queen & Slim Were Not Their Real Names

Queen & Slim (2019)

Queen and Slim is a movie that was made to be about something and it was not subtle about it. It unapologetically deals with the problems between the police and the black community. In this sense, it was a successful movie. It handles the issue from multiple perspectives and positions, from the generational aspect to the viewpoint of allies, to even those on both sides of the dispute. While not based on any particular instance, the catalyst of the movie could have easily been ripped directly from the headlines. A couple is returning from their first date and they are pulled over for a minor infraction. The officer then consistently oversteps the law until he eventually draws his gun. He shoots the girl and in the conflict, the guy gets the gun and shoots to cop. It is all captured on dashcam and they are forced to run. From this point forward, the pair is running and has to accept kindness from strangers and family to try and escape from Ohio to Cuba. At each stop, the story marginally progresses as they drive further south. Every place shows different attitudes about the situation. Some don’t want to get involved while others only tacitly support, not directly aiding either side. Some actively try to help, one of which makes things much worse for the couple. And then there are those who act against the pair, which are more often than not just more law enforcement. I appreciated the message and I thought the movie was well acted, but I was very bored for much of the middle. It is difficult to be great when the most action-packed scene at the beginning, with several other scenes failing to measure up throughout the rest of the movie. Saving Private Ryan is the only movie that has managed that feat, in my mind. This movie was like 15 minutes on the Autobahn, an hour through a school zone, and ending with 30 minutes on an open highway with a cop behind you. I really liked the story, but getting between plot points was a chore. I also only like half of the couple. Daniel Kaluuya was consistently charming and much more relatable. He also just seemed like a better person than his date. She was snobby from the start with inconsistent character traits. Jodie Turner-Smith’s character was abrasive and constantly on guard, but her arc made her lower her guard in the situation when she should have been most guarded as they went further south. They also made a lot of rookie mistakes when running from the law, like they had never seen a movie about a fugitive, like parking on the street or keeping cars after incidents. Overall, Queen and Slim delivered its message, so it was a good movie in that respect, but it is still deeply flawed cinematically. I still liked it and give it 800 out of the 1200 miles from Cleveland to Miami.