In addition to the shaky camera, which permeates throughout the entire film and adds no enhanced value to the narrative, Bigelow incorporates news footages of the rioting and crime scene photographs from the Algiers event. While watching the film, I actually began to question its existence in this dramatized format, concluding that it would be better served and more effective as a documentary. The film suffers from a major protagonist problem (I ask you to tell me who the main character(s) and why are in the comments below), and doesn't seem to know what story it wants to tell.

For instance, the film begins with a minute long animation that basically highlights the wrongdoings to black people in broad strokes, beginning with their enslavement and working its way to 1960s Detroit, before actually opening with the police raid of a unlicensed drinking club, which is the inciting incident for the 5 day rioting that follows. This is based in known fact; however, it's the major focus of the first half hour of the film, and it ultimately does nothing for the narrative, other than set the scene. We don't get plunged into the Algiers until about the 30 to 45 minute mark, which is exclusively where the narrative should take place.

Even then, it's tonally awkward, jumping from the grave seriousness and violent confusion of the riots to a light-hearted and comedic 20 minutes at the motel while characters are finally getting introduced, before veering quickly back to the seriousness and violence of the actual Algiers incident. The film is filled with so much lurid dialogue and acting, and silly one-liners delivered by Will Poulter, such as, "This is Detroit, we don't bluff," and "Another one bites the dust," which just makes me think of: