After five years, Kathryn Bigelow is back with another real-life drama, but one set further in the past than her last two, however this is still sadly, and frighteningly, relevant.

Set in the 1967 Detroit riots, the film centres around a situation that arises as a result of gunfire on a group of police and army personnel, seemingly coming from the Algiers Motel. The forces storm the hotel, rounding up all inside whom they then use violence and sick tactics on in an attempt to get a confession from one, despite not even being sure they have the correct building.

It is an intense and horrifying watch. The brutality and racism on display is sickening, and the film keeps you in close quarters of it. The lack of cutting away keeps you in an almost claustrophobic setting, keeping you trapped with the victims of this brutality, and up-close and personal with the police committing such unjust atrocities. The complete disregard for any form of procedure causes a sense of unpredictability which increases the fear, as there is no telling what the cops will do next, or what lengths they will go to. Not only are their actions horrifying, but their intent on tactfully perverting justice (and the ease with which this seems to be done, probably to the colour of their skin) is also sickening. This is most blatant where cops place weapons next to the dead bodies of innocent people, or, in one particular instance, where one trigger-happy cop’s cover-up lies are immediately, almost instinctively, corroborated by another.

The film succeeds in pulling you into the situation, in order to make its point more powerful. The initial opening of the film works to set up the circumstances surrounding the riots, but it is not until the characters we will follow are introduced that the film really becomes especially involving. There is ample time devoted to seeing these characters prior to their detainment, but not so much so that it drags down the pace. The ordeal itself is well paced, allowing the tension that is created to be sustained throughout. Barry Ackroyd’s cinematography adds to the film’s authentic feel and reiterates the sick reality of the situation. The acting is also strong across the board from a multitude of up-and-coming actors, all of which help to fully empathise with the situation. John Boyega as the quiet security guard and Will Poulter as the terrifying maniacal cop are stand-outs, with Poulter, in particular, bringing more complexity to a role that could have been so surface level, by demonstrating the young man beneath the crazed cop.

Another excellent and grounded true-tale from Bigelow and Mark Boal, Detroit will enrage you and disturb you, which is exactly why it needs to be seen.