Black and Blue

A rookie cop seeks to expose the racist killers on the New Orleans police force in this combination of social commentary and urban action flick. British actor Naomie Harris makes a strong impression as the newcomer in the ranks, who grew up in the city's ghetto community before serving in the military in Afghanistan, and now finds herself at the sharp edge of divided loyalties between the blue uniform and her black identity. Deon Taylor's thriller is a valiant attempt to translate the anxieties of the era of Black Lives Matter into mainstream entertainment, as Harris must run the gauntlet between corrupt law enforcement officers out to silence her, and heavily armed drug-dealers who only see her badge. It certainly offers strong advocacy for changing attitudes within police ranks, yet at the same time gets a little bogged down in familiar gang violence which only demonises the black community and their run-down surroundings. Tension holds up pretty well, though in the end the solutions seem rather more simplistic than the raft of social contradictions that the material is examining.