The Personal History of David Copperfield review: "This isn’t a traditional, staid, by-the-numbers affair"

A young African American couple's date ends horrifically after a police officer pulls them over and the ensuing fight forces them on the run.

Zig-zagging across America in a desperate attempt to evade the authorities, they look for safety as footage of their actions goes viral online.

Becoming modern folk heroes along the way, their fame helps and hinders them as they start falling in love.

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Pros

If you've watched Get Out, Widows or even Skins back in the day, you'll know Daniel Kaluuya is an amazing acting talent. As Slim, he's as engaging and intoxicating as ever, but the stand-out performance is undeniably from his co-star, Jodie Turner-Smith, a relative newcomer in her first big screen role as Queen. She's got this way about her that practically forces you to watch her every movement. In short, they're both very good, and their chemistry together is what makes this film work so well.

Director Melina Matsoukas is best known for her work with Beyonce and Rihanna (her music videos for 'We Found Love' and 'Formation' won her Grammys), stepping into feature filmmaking for the first time with Queen & Slim, maintaining that music video feel with flashes of eye-catching imagery - Slim riding a horse, a dance in a Deep South Blues bar, a violent street riot, the list goes on - that'll linger in the memory. The brush paints the picture in broad strokes, but they're interesting, dynamic ones.

Writer Lena Waithe is also an incredible talent. You might know her from her acting work in Master Of None, or from Spielberg's Ready Player One, or from her previous writing credits (including an Emmy award-winning episode from Master Of None), or maybe this is the first time you've ever heard of her. She's a controversial figure, and some of the decisions she makes here are so direct they feel blunt, but it's a matter of taste as ever. Wherever you stand, take note: she's a fascinating figure, and her script here is written with such emotion, it makes it all feel that much more affecting. This is a timely, thoughtful, powerful film with things to say. Trust me, this is a movie that'll emotionally 'get' you, so, well... now you know.

Cons

The film feels scattered and loose, like a good road trip would. But as a film, it can feel a bit too meandering and wobbly. You're here, you're there, they stay here, they go there. You occasionally lose the belief that they're really in danger, what with their ability to linger at interesting spots as and when they feel like it. It's a movie of images, of moments, of big, bold, splashy aesthetic choices and come the end it doesn't all hang together as well as you might like.

If you're looking for reality, this is not that. This is a 'print the legend' near-fantasy, a modern Bonnie And Clyde with bigger things to say than just "romance wins the day". At times you want it to be a proper thriller, but it's a bit too loose for that.

It's 132 minutes and honestly, it should be a tighter 100 or so.

Three word review: Splashy, timely, loose.