Black and Blue
Directed by Deon Taylor
- action
- thriller
- crime
The story
Rookie cop Alicia West, an Army veteran, inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.
What it’s like
Gritty night-streets crime thriller with the grain and smear of handheld work: sodium-orange streetlight, wet asphalt reflecting red and blue police strobes, and cramped interiors lit by the hard glow of dashboards and phone screens. Director Deon Taylor keeps the camera close on Alicia's face so every glance feels exposed, while the New Orleans setting arrives as humid, sweat-slick heat, crowded bars, and empty industrial lots at dawn. The score leans on low synth throb and pulsing bass that tightens during chase sequences and drops to near silence in the quiet beats between them. The vibe is tense, paranoid, and relentless, a sustained sense of being hunted in your own city. Violence is frequent and sharp: shootings, a brutal murder shown on body-cam footage, and physical fights that land with real impact, though gore stays limited. Pacing is fast and escalating, with arcs that move from a naive rookie's trust in the institution toward hard-won self-reliance and an uneasy alliance with a stranger who knows the streets. For viewers who want a propulsive, morally charged chase with a determined female lead, not a gentle watch.
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