November 05, 2006
Street Fight
An Academy Award nominated documentary that shows the corruption at work in a major mayoral election
Starring: It's a Documentary
Rating: 9/10
Directed By: Marshall Curry
Runtime: 83 minutes
Starring: It's a Documentary
Rating: 9/10
Directed By: Marshall Curry
Runtime: 83 minutes
Street Fight is a smaller, scrappier version of 1993's The War Room. Whereas the '93 film tracked Bill Clinton's campaign for the presidency, Street Fight follows the street level campaign of a young idealistic candidate attempting to upset the incumbent mayor of Newark, NJ in the 2002 election. Documentarian Marshall Curry has a wonderful subject in Cory Booker, a city councilman and Rhodes scholar, whose attempts to run a clean campaign is sabotaged at every corner by the strong arm tactics of the incumbent mayor Sharpe James. Booker is an engaging figure who was raised in the suburbs but, in his years as a councilman, lived in one of Newark's numerous projects. .
Great documentaries are made when filmmakers thrust themselves in the middle of the action and Curry does just that, following Booker as he goes door to door to meet with the voters and also finding himself physically accosted as he attempts to crash a Sharpe James rally. Curry is also present when the campaign suddenly turns ugly as James, sensing an actual competitor in Booker, begins a smear campaign that would rival the GOP at their finest. In less than an hour and a half, Curry is able to pull back the curtains and show us just how easy it is to manipulate the American public. James makes statements about Booker's ethnicity (he suggests that Booker is to light skinned and well educated to properly represent the African American community), his morals (he derides Booker for allowing a campaign member to remain on staff although the man attended a strip club), and even his living conditions (questions arise about whether or not Booker lives where he says he lives) but then, like any good politician, he backs away from the statements as not to be proven wrong but by that point, the damage is already done. It's equal parts fascinating and frustrating as we are given a glimpse of the machine at work but, in doing so, we are provided incite into the electoral process that paints a rather negative picture of times to come.
Great documentaries are made when filmmakers thrust themselves in the middle of the action and Curry does just that, following Booker as he goes door to door to meet with the voters and also finding himself physically accosted as he attempts to crash a Sharpe James rally. Curry is also present when the campaign suddenly turns ugly as James, sensing an actual competitor in Booker, begins a smear campaign that would rival the GOP at their finest. In less than an hour and a half, Curry is able to pull back the curtains and show us just how easy it is to manipulate the American public. James makes statements about Booker's ethnicity (he suggests that Booker is to light skinned and well educated to properly represent the African American community), his morals (he derides Booker for allowing a campaign member to remain on staff although the man attended a strip club), and even his living conditions (questions arise about whether or not Booker lives where he says he lives) but then, like any good politician, he backs away from the statements as not to be proven wrong but by that point, the damage is already done. It's equal parts fascinating and frustrating as we are given a glimpse of the machine at work but, in doing so, we are provided incite into the electoral process that paints a rather negative picture of times to come.