CADILLAC RECORDS: Based On A True Story

THE HISTORY: This film tells the story of an important slice of musical history during which the uniquely American genre of Rock and Roll was born. It also pays deserved homage to the music and artists from whence it came. Writer/director Darnell Martin (I Like It Like That) shows us how the raw musical talent of Muddy Waters, a young Mississippi sharecropper, hooked-up with the street-smart hustler spirit of fledgling record producer, Leonard Chess, spawning a hybrid musical sound that changed the course of popular music in the U.S. and around the world.

THE FILM: From the first scene, when Muddy is discovered by musicologist Alan Lomax in the blistering heat of a Mississippi cotton field, to 25 years later when a nervous Muddy steps off the plane in London for his comeback tour and is greeted by a red carpet welcome from appreciative fans (including Mick Jagger), Martin fills the screen with the passion, heat, aggression and intensely personal music that was the reality of the Chicago Blues scene in the 40's and 50's.

Booze, drugs, weapons, racism, music segregation and "colored" vs "black" are all fair game as the high-life and the low-life battle it out on the streets, in the bars and in the confines of Chess Records' recording studio. In stark contrast, luxurious Cadillac cars are everywhere. They become movie "extras" when a close-up of a sparkling new Cadillac hood ornament slinks across the screen, escorting us into the next scene. Likewise, when the camera pans-out from the signature gold "V" of the Cadillac Crest logo to reveal a river of blood sliding down it's sleek exterior, we "get" the brutality that preceded it.

It is Darnell Martin's appreciation and understanding of the roots of the delta blues music, along with her gift of writing and directing, that creates the opportunity for a very talented ensemble cast to shine individually and collectively. And they do just that.

THE CAST: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, Beyonce Knowles, Cedric the Entertainer, Eamonn Walker, Gabrielle Union and Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Adrien Brody, a self-described "natural" actor, struts his acting chops as Leonard Chess, the son of a poor Polish immigrant and co-founder of the hugely successful Chess Records. Leonard has a notorious habit of giving new Cadillacs as "gifts" to his recording artists in lieu of the royalties and rights they deserve. Thus, the title, Cadillac Records. Brody is instinctively able to transform the ethically flawed, but mostly well-intentioned Leonard Chess into an ultimately sympathetic character.

Highly respected New York theatre actor Jeffrey Wright is the PERFECT Muddy Waters. He balances Muddy's hard-core masculinity with his delicately soft vulnerability in ways that even the most experienced of actors would envy. That Wright is able to maintain the tension of these character opposites throughout the 25 year lifespan of this film, without even a hint of slack, is acting genius, pure and simple. Jeffrey Wright merits the highest of praise for this performance as well as many more quality roles on the big screen.

THE COMMENT: This film has a huge heart and a deep soul. Darnell Martin is to be applauded for telling the story with integrity and straight-up passion, never veering from the film's intent, never apologetic or compromising, with no agenda other than to tell the truth, and to honor the source of the music and the brilliant artists who created the Rock and Roll revolution. Brava!

A Small Disclosure . . .
I admit it. I have been enamored with the early delta blues sounds since I was a young adolescent. My intention in this review has been to separate my love of the music from the merits of the film itself. I do believe I have succeeded. My recommendation? SEE THIS MOVIE and decide for yourself.