Cry Freedom: Damn, Apartheid Was Brutal

Okay, so I just finished watching "Cry Freedom." I think it was directed by...uh...I dunno, some dude. But the story, man. Based on real events about Donald Woods (Kevin Kline, always solid) and his friendship with Steve Biko (Denzel Washington, magnetic even way back then). Woods is this comfortable white journalist who starts out kinda skeptical about Biko's whole Black Consciousness Movement. Then he sees what's really happening with apartheid, and it's like, BAM, his whole worldview gets flipped. Some of the scenes, like the police raids and the just blatant disregard for human life, are seriously disturbing. No sugarcoating there. Made me feel super uncomfortable, which I guess is the point. What really got me was the whole escape thing at the end. Woods smuggling the book manuscript out of the country...so tense! And the lengths they went to, disguises, fake passports...holy crap. Yeah, it's a little dated now, maybe even a bit melodramatic in spots (the whole 'family in danger' trope is used pretty hard), but the core message just hits you. I mean, seeing Denzel...er Steve.. in action, organizing, speaking truth to power... it's inspiring, even if you know how it ends. And the fact that it's all TRUE just makes it even more powerful. The acting is fantastic. Especially Denzel. Even though he's not in the whole movie, his presence dominates everything. It's almost a biographic movie about Steve Biko but through Donald Woods' eyes. So yeah, "Cry Freedom". Not a fun watch, exactly, but definetly one that makes you think. Worth checking out if you wanna understand this messed-up part of history...and maybe, just maybe, be a little less oblivious to injustice today. I'm gonna go grab a beer now...need to process all that.