Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Best of Enemies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 12, 2019

Taraji P. Henson has lately been one of the busier actresses in Hollywood, working in a divergent cross-section of cinema genres, including Historical Dramas (Hidden Figures), Action (Proud Mary), and Comedy (What Men Want). She is also, of course, perhaps best known for her work on the super popular but recently embattled television smash hit Empire. It is the Historical Drama to which she returns for The Best of Enemies, Director Robin Bissell's true-story film in which she portrays a Civil Rights activist opposite a North Carolina Klan leader played by Moon's Sam Rockwell. The film is not black and white, so to speak, portraying its characters, and the clashes between citizens, in shades of gray. It's an impactful, at times imperfect, but perfectly honest and emotionally complex film that pulls audiences to both characters through similarities that manifest deeper in their souls despite their vast external differences in racial opinion.

Durham, North Carolina, 1971. Racial tensions are running high. When an all-black school catches fire and its students have no safe place to learn, a movement for school integration catches fire and frazzles nerves. The Durham Klan, with a reach that goes right to the top, isn’t keen in the idea, to say the least. Local Klan president C.P. Ellis (Rockwell) is charged with being the face of the anti-integration movement. It turns out he’s being forced to co-chair a community meeting with Ann Atwater (Henson), a boisterous and committed civil rights activist. The two share nothing in common, or so it seems. But as they are forced to work more closely together, they both have their eyes open to the struggles one another faces both in the fight for and against integration and the private battles they wage away from the racial strife that defines their public lives.

The film paints a vivid, if not toned down, picture of a community at odds and two souls in crisis, souls which exist on far opposite ends of the civil rights spectrum but gravitate towards one another when each discovers the humanity in the other, humanity that may be externally shrouded by noise and vitriol but that surfaces when the two have no alternative but to spend what becomes quality time with one another. Where the movie goes is no surprise -- of course Ellis will come to realize that his time with the Klan and the thought processes that have heretofore carried him through life have clouded his vision and skewered his perspective on an entire community -- but it finds its footing, and its heart, in the thawing of tensions and the increasingly personable and very human actions and interactions that build out of the darkness of hate and fear and mistrust and into the light of friendship, cooperation, and the setting aside of longstanding differences.

The movie gets off to a frigid start as it regurgitates and rehashes familiar ground without much feel for soul, asking its audience to stick around for yet another vision of civil rights era strife within a classic conflict context. It’s not until partway through when Ellis and Atwater first clash over racial politics and social strife that the film begins to take shape, as the characters find their voices and the movie builds away from the externalities and towards the souls of the individuals on which it focuses. Both Rockwell and Henson are terrific, each inhabiting polar opposite characters -- considering who they are, how they look, what they say, and how they say it -- with seemingly no hope for reconciliation, never mind friendship, above the din both sides create. But the actors bring a real feel for the person they play, not just considering the superficial divisions that push them apart but more importantly the humanity that will draw them together. Both work hard to build honest, soulful constructs that gradually and clearly and with heartfelt sincerity lay the groundwork not for a middle ground but for a real transformation away from hate and noise and an understanding that life is about far more than color but the deeper qualities that shape a soul, define a community, and reflect what humanity is truly about.

The Best of Enemies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Best of Enemies befriends Blu-ray with a technically proficient 1080p transfer. The source digital photography is visually fine if not a little naturally flat. The movie could stand some film-sourced texture to accentuate its period timeframe. As it is, the image feels modern despite its decades-old setting, through most viewers probably won't mind. The picture quality proper is generally fine, revealing quality facial and clothing textures across a broad spectrum of characters and attire. The early 70s settings are nicely sharp and naturally defined, whether out in Durham streets or inside various assembly halls, classrooms, or cozy homes. Colors are handled well, though contrast could stand to be a little more intense. There's an airiness to the picture, an elevated palette that finds firm footing in bright period clothes and automobiles but some viewers might hope for something a little more firm. Skin tones can push slightly pasty but black levels appear solidly deep. Light noise appears in low light but isn't an issue in daylight or brighter interior lights. Objectively, the transfer is quite good; subjectively, the movie's visual makeup leaves a little to be desired.

The Best of Enemies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack handles essentials well but the track lacks any real aural stimulus; the film's sound design is fairly pedestrian and straightforward. It's a bit dull on the macro level without much feel for absolute precision with dialogue its primary sonic propellant. The spoken word does flow with admirable clarity and prioritization from a natural front-center location. Music is finely integrated, remaining largely the charge of the front left and right speakers with only light surround support and just enough low end push to give it a modest feel for weight. Light atmosphere enjoys modest but scene-defining sonic success, including light din inside a barroom, heavier verbal chaos inside city council meetings, and natural ambience around town. Shotgun, rifle, and pistol blasts at a target practice session in chapter eight are dull and disappointing. It is otherwise a proficient track, just one without much sonic excitement with the movie focusing on narrative development rather than high yield audio.

The Best of Enemies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Best of Enemies contains two brief featurettes, a lengthier piece that recounts the real history behind the film, and the film's trailer. A DVD copy of the film and an iTunes digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Make a Connection (1080p, 1:46): The cast and the real people the actors portray briefly recount the story and the film's message: "love always wins."
• Ann Atwater (1080p, 2:20): A closer look at the character portrayed by Taraji P. Henson and another story recount, with some repeat content from the previous extra.
• An Unlikely Friendship (1080i, 34:46): A vintage documentary recounting the story of the Durham charrette and the friendship that formed between Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis. It offers a detailed history of the civil rights battles of the time and the characters who altered history.
• The Best of Enemies Trailer (1080p, 2:37).

The Best of Enemies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Best of Enemies has no real surprises on offer; it's based on historical events and even for audiences unfamiliar with the true stories of Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis there's never any question where the movie will go. But it's spiritedly performed and while it's definitely a bit saccharine and sentimental around the edges, it rounds into fairly agreeable form. Universal's Blu-ray offers good video and audio presentations with a supplemental package highlighted by a quality 35 minute documentary about the real people the film highlights. Recommended.