White Boy Rick (2018) - Hard to separate the facts from the fancy - 7/10 (19/10/18)

White Boy Rick might be based upon a true story but it should be mentioned that it is largely based upon subjective claims that cannot be fully verified. The movie tells a story that might or might not be fully or partially true about a teenage boy from a broken neighbourhood in the decrepit city of Detroit, symbol for the downfall of the American Dream, who gets involved in criminal gangs at the tender age of fourteen. He becomes an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation which almost costs him his life. Even after being dropped by the intelligence and security service, the tough protagonist with a soft core remains involved in criminal activities and exposes himself and those around him to great danger.

On the positive side, the movie oozes with atmosphere and has a quite realistic touch. White Boy Rick efficiently works with contrasts. The decrepit settings of Detroit as opposed to the world of steel and glass in Las Vegas, the poor neighbourhoods as opposed to shiny clubs, the innocent children getting in touch with pitiless gangster bosses and their ruthless associates evoke strong emotions, ideas and images. The film obviously offers some social criticism related to drugs, family and even governmental institutions. The acting performances are brilliant and the story is at times heart-breaking, especially Bel Powley playing the protagonist's drug-addicted runaway sister is very convincing.

On the negative side, the film's pace is quite plodding. It doesn't help that the story is somewhat unfocused. It starts at a certain point in the protagonist's life, accompanies him for a few years and ends with a boring text about his future fate. With a few more scenes, such as his birth into a broken family and the departure of his mother at the beginning or his release from jail and reunion with his family at the end would have made for a more complete movie.

If you like dramatic gangster movies that offer some social criticism instead of action sequences, you should give White Boy Rick a try. It has enough redeeming qualities to be one of the better gangster movies in recent memory. However, it could have been even better with a better pace and more precise script.