Black and Blue

Alicia West is a character who deserves a franchise: a toughie who rises above underprivileged origins to become a champion of justice. Playing a former solider-turned-cop, Harris offers an authentic intensity; through her eyes, viewers see that all of our actions matter, whether it's cops taking a candy bar from a market without paying, a mom not being present for her 10-year-old, or a gangster recognizing when he's made a mistake. Tyrese Gibson plays Alicia's reluctant accomplice with an emotional accessibility that allows viewers to feel the challenges of being a Black man trying to live an honest life in a crime-ridden town.

Black and Blue's suspense is intense, and the action is riveting, but, at its core, this is a street justice film. The movie gives voice to those who are painfully familiar with racial profiling -- and the shame and frustration that come from feeling like you're always under suspicion just because of where you live. It flips the power dynamic by putting cops on the same immoral level as assault weapon-toting drug dealers and then elevates the audience's opinion of the criminals. In a scene in which a gang leader and a dirty detective tussle over a gun, you'll likely find yourself rooting for the former, even though he was just threatening to kill the main characters. Black and Blue offers validation to viewers who are weary of racial injustice. Just be careful not to miss the movie's message: that the lack of trust, empathy, and decency toward one another is tearing us apart.