george.schmidt Review of Selma

Selma (2014)

Excellent depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.'s epic take on the Civil Rights Movement

[9/10 · 4 January 2015]

SELMA (2014) ***1/2 David Oyleowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Giovanni Ribisi, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Sheen, Dylan Baker, Tessa Thompson, Lorraine Toussaint, Common, Wendell Pierce, Niecy Nash, Andre Holland, Stephan James, Omar J. Dorsey, Nigel Thatch, Jeremy Strong. Excellent depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.'s epic take on the Civil Rights Movement and the titular firestorm march on Alabama amidst racial strife and a heel-dragging LBJ administration. Oyleowo uncannily sounds like the late leader and gives a powerful Oscar-worthy turn as does Ejogo as his long-suffering better half Corretta Scott King. Novice screenwriter Paul Webb and rookie director Ava DuVernay make a fine team in breathing life into a historical moment that resonates even more today with a rippling effect of social conscience to mainstream injustice.