Detroit

It's not an easy film to watch but Bigelow's control over every aspect ensures it's utterly convincing.

Detroit becomes a kind of neo-Gothic horror story.

Detroit comes out of its corner slugging and barely stops. By the end the viewer has a swollen eye, ringing ears and a conviction that the referee should have stopped the fight.

Each actor inhabits their role with a precision and mettle that means even in the depths of confusion, the complex group dynamics are easy to read.

In its own polemical way, it is very powerful filmmaking but, as storytelling, it is one-dimensional. There is too much "docu" here and not enough drama.

Fascinating but deeply flawed.

It is definitely pacing and editing that are the biggest flaws here, the narrative structure just seems to go haywire in the second half. It feels at least twice as long as it actually is and this is a disservice to the real people involved.

Detroit is one of the best and most important films of the year. It's the kind of film that will not only make you think, but also make you angry ... this sort of injustice could ever have happened ... [and] is still relevant, fifty years after the fact.

Detroit is as incendiary, pulse-pounding, relevant, and essential a work as you are likely to see this year, and it's easily one of the best films of the year.

After watching Detroit, emotionally-depleted and politically-agitated moviegoers are guaranteed to stumble out of the theatre feeling woke - I'm not so sure about entertained.