Monsters and Men

Now streaming on Hulu, “Monsters and Men” features three men of color whose lives revolve around the same incident-the murder of an unarmed black man at the hands of police. 

The three main characters are:

-Dennis-played by John David Washington-a police officer who has experienced racial profiling      

-Manny-played by Anthony Ramos-witnesses an unarmed man being harassed by police officers

-Zyrick-Kelvin Harrison Jr.-a young adult who is on track to win a baseball scholarship to college

In the film, Manny sees a man being questioned by police, and takes out his cellphone to record the incident. The incident escalates, and Manny ends up recording the man’s murder. Ever since witnessing the murder, Manny’s been followed by an unknown black car, and has been intimidated by police. One night, returning home from work, Manny comes home to find his home has been broken into. Once that happens, he posts the video of the murder he witnessed online.

Dennis is a black police officer who has been pulled over 6 times himself. Upon the death of the unarmed black man, he is then subject to scrutiny from police and civilians alike. At a dinner party, a friend confronts him about the incident. His answer to his friend toes the party line. But at work, can he remain neutral among his fellow officers?

Zyrick is a teenager who is stopped by police on his way home from baseball practice one night. The incident angers him, and inspires him to action. He watches the video that Manny recorded on his cell phone. He is outraged, and feels compelled to act. He leaves home one night to attend a protest march in the murdered man’s honor.

This film was written with stories plucked from the headlines. In the film, the murder Manny witnesses is like that of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who police said was allegedly selling loose cigarettes outside of a store.

The protest from the city after the murder is like those witnessed in New York after Garner’s murder, and like those in Ferguson, Missouri.

After the murder, two police officers were ambushed in their patrol car and murdered, as has happened in real life.

Thought provoking, eye opening, challenging. 

"Monsters and Men", Now on Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu. Three stars.