Alternate Best Actor 2015: Jason Mitchell in Straight Outta Compton

Jason Mitchell did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Eric "Eazy-E" Wright in Straight Outta Compton. 

Straight Outta Compton is a good biopic that follows the forming and fallout of the hip hop group N.W.A. 

Jason Mitchell plays the leading member of the group Eric Eazy-E, who I think has the most complex role in part because the man died before the production of the film, while also having nothing to do with the production of the film unlike Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, who were both producers of the film, played by Corey Hawkins and O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube's real life son) in the film. Now that isn't to dismiss Hawkins or Jackson who both deliver strong performances that deliver the right charisma representative of their real life counterparts. Jackson is particularly impressive in evoking his old man's style and personality even beyond the ideal casting of himself. They are both good in presenting these versions of the men, which I wouldn't say are quite idealized but obviously the amount of negativity the filmmakers could display around them was limited to some degree. Eric Eazy-E on the other-hand was technically fair game, and in turn we get a particularly dynamic character as brought to life by Jason Mitchell. Mitchell carries himself in his first scene, where we see Eric working as a drug dealer, with, for the lack of a better word, the remarkable kind of swagger. This with just exuding a kind of confidence that is particularly notable, as his stature doesn't in itself create this, but he manages to carry himself with a dominating quality nonetheless. 

Mitchell's performance captures the right intensity in presence but also really the right id that defines the man's manner even away from his criminal activities and with the forming of the group. Mitchell carries himself with a consistent kind of energy and style within conveying that style of Eric. This as even when he is questioned about his lifestyle it is just with a smile of acceptance towards what he does. There is no reservation there, but in a certain sense Mitchell creates the sense of power of the man's personality because of that lack of hesitation. This same spirit though we see more productively in action as he becomes the front man for the group. Mitchell, as does Jackson and to certain extent Hawkins, bring a magnetic stage presence. What is particularly strong about their work is that they manage to extend it beyond just what we see of them off the stage. It is rather basically there most striking qualities amplified. With Mitchell, he owns every song, and every moment on stage with that swagger now used for a less dangerous purpose, or at least somewhat less dangerous purpose. This creating the right kind of "front man" power to his presence of someone seemingly wholly in charge of himself and most everyone around him. This naturally even creating the sense of Eric's ego growing, which the film naturally accentuates as a divide between him and his friends, amplified by their manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) who quickly plays favorites once they get big. 

 

I think the film actually works largely best in the early scenes of the rise of the group, particularly through through that magnetism in their stage performances, and the sense of camaraderie found in the chemistry between Mitchell, Jackson and Hawkins. It gets a little less engaging as it gets to the infighting caused by essentially their agents and other studio heads. Mitchell though to his credit doesn't go overboard in portraying the moments of intense ego in Eric as he feuds with the rest of the guy. It is rather well conveyed as the same type of dismissive bravado that we saw when he went face to face with a potentially violent fellow drug dealer. This making an essential later scene where he buries the hatchet with Ice Cube work. This as we just are granted that sense of camaraderie between the actors again, making it a short but poignant scene. Speaking of short but poignant, Eric finds himself diagnosed with AIDS and a short time to live. These scenes I think are just a touch rushed due to needing to cover all the characters' reactions, making the time devoted to Eric in this limited. Having said that, Mitchell is great in the scene of the diagnosis in just conveying the immediate heartbreak and disbelief over the situation. It's a powerful scene and makes Eric 'untimely death appropriately tragic even in its relative brevity. The few scenes Mitchell has within this context are pointed in showing just the immediate onset of grief as time is basically stolen from him without mercy. It is a remarkable end to what is otherwise a consistently strong and confident turn that brings to life every aspect explored within the film about Eric Eazy-E.