DC Noir Review: A Diverse Cast Tell Diverse Stories

Release date: August 18, 2020
Running time: 93 minutes 

Starring: Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jaime Alva, Henry Ayres-Brown 

DC Noir is a crime series set and filmed entirely in Washington, D.C. based on the short stories of acclaimed novelist and television producer/screenwriter George Pelecanos, which he adapted for the project.  The stories cover a wide range of situations, from a cheating wife, to a murder for hire plot, to nieghborhood violence, and drug deals gone bad.  The six short stories offer a decent variety of urban experiences, and do highlight some different areas in the city.  We also are introduced to a variety of characters.

DC Noir's biggest draw is the city of D.C. and the variety of stories in a single movie.  You get six unique experiences told from six different characters.  This variety gives you a lot of perspectives on the city and some of the challenges that are faced by its inhabitants.  And the stories are generally well done.  They are noir style, so that is good or bad depending on your perspective.  They consist of mostly dialog, are slowly paced, have a generally dark tone, and usually end on a cliffhanger.  And as you would expect from a movie about D.C., the cast is predominantly black.  It's great to see that the city is accurately represented and it is refreshing to see several realistic stories of black men and women growing up and living in this city.  And it is really great to see a movie set in D.C.  There are some shots of stores, and lots of scenes in parks and in the neighborhoods.  You get to see some well known shops and the characteristic row house style.

However, the main issue with DC Noir is that there isn't enough about D.C. in it.  It could have been named Urban Noir and set in a different city and you wouldn't have batted an eye. Other than the fact that there are occasionally scenes on the metro, in some well known shops, and shots of the capital, everything else could just be any other story set in a city.  And the stories themselves don't seem that unique to D.C.   I would have liked to see a greater use of landmarks and other attributes of this city.  Maybe have a story about local politics or other uniquely D.C. aspects.  And I also wish that the stories related to each other.  Each story in the movie was generally self contained, but I wanted to see more of the characters and find out what happened after the story.  It would have been a nice nod to see them bleed over into each other's stories.  And although the acting is generally good, the delivery in the first story seemed a little off.  It balances out, and towards the end everything feels natural and noir.

DC Noir's six stories offer a noir take on urban life, with a diversity of both cast and situations to keep you enthralled as these stories play out.   

Rent it.

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