Racism, romance, rage & the road.

When Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde proceeded to rip the Hollywood old guard a new one fifty years ago, it seemed inevitable that that particular retelling of the legendary Depression-era bank robbing lovers would go on to alter both the film industry and popular culture forever.

In the years that followed, the film’s enduring appeal inspired countless likeminded big screen tales, keeping the legacy of cinema’s most influential outlaw couple burning brightly. The legendary story of Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, and their infamous crime spree across America has informed everything from Natural Born Killers to Thelma & Louise, with its bullet-riddled social commentary and outsider rallying cry continuing to strike a chord with audiences to this very day.

Plugging directly into this deep vein of Bonnie and Clyde influence, Queen & Slim sets itself on a very contemporary path, as it takes aim at some of the most burning issues in modern America, but is this enough to push the film above the realms of mere imitation and inject something fresh into such a well-trodden story?

When their first date takes a dark turn during a roadside altercation with a racist police officer, Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) are forced to go on the run. Terrified and fearing for their lives, the couple attempt to avoid the law and public attention, yet as the video of the incident goes viral, they swiftly become unwitting criminal superstars. As their fame and notoriety grows, Queen and Slim attain cult hero status, becoming a symbol of pain, grief, and injustice for marginalised people across the country.

Wearing its heart and influences on its sleeve, Queen & Slim makes no bones about its reverence to the Bonnie and Clyde legend. It’s an approach that taps into the long tradition of alternative retellings of the classic tale, yet, while there’s little originality to be found in this approach, the film’s lack of narrative innovation is balanced by its adventurous spirit, unique style, and a topicality that hits particularly hard.

Taking that timeless Bonnie and Clyde energy and sending it hurtling into contemporary America, Queen & Slim may possess little subtlety, yet its blunt message has the desired impact. Classy and irresistibly intoxicating, the film certainly has big arthouse ambitions, as first time feature director Melina Matsoukas’ unique filmmaking approach whisks us away on a stylised adventure through the deep south; however, it lands primarily as a broad, painfully forthright account of the fraught race relations and injustices that mark today’s America.

It’s a potent, raw issue and one that Queen & Slim pounces on, exploding into life with an unbearably tense, uncomfortably real curb side confrontation and rapidly escalating from there. Heavy-handed though it may be, the story comes from a good place, possessing such an earnest, admirably righteous stance that it’s downright impossible to ignore.

Although undoubtedly broad, sometimes that’s just the approach you need to hammer home a harsh message, as Queen & Slim takes a sledgehammer to its subject, with its pop culture brashness, timeless appeal, and undeniable charm ripping apart delicate subjects like racism and police brutality to make them easily accessible. Even the film’s classic ‘criminals on the lamb’ narrative structure allows access to the harsh realities of a story that feels pulled from a thousand depressing news headlines.

For anyone with even a passing knowledge of Bonnie and Clyde, Queen & Slim plays out precisely how you expect it to, with a plot that, while not without the odd twist and turn, sticks largely to the main road. This is a story, however, that’s less about the ultimate destination of its protagonists and more about the journey it takes to get there, as the film’s specific plot points take a back seat to Melina Matsoukas’ sweeping, all-encompassing trip.

This journey really is where Queen & Slim clicks, with Matsoukas’ bold direction taking the entire film a notch above the Bonnie and Clyde rehash it threatens to be and towards something far more interesting. Made all the more remarkable by the fact that this is her debut feature, Matsoukas brings her critically acclaimed music video swagger, as she takes a number of bold stylistic swings that make the film such an alluring and invigorating ride.

Not all the bold decisions quite land, as some editing and directorial choices feel too messy and underdeveloped, yet these are counterbalanced by the stunningly crafted camerawork and Matsoukas’ vibrant, yet gritty, visual style. With glorious southern backwater vistas passing Queen and Slim by in their various getaway vehicles, the film envelops you in a dreamlike haze, as the beautiful, captivating visuals are bolstered by impeccable music cues and Devonté Hynes’ wistful, evocative score.

Dealt some pretty heavy-handed dialogue at times, the film’s star pairing of Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya nonetheless steal the show. Backed up by a solid extended cast of assorted friend and foe, Turner-Smith and Kaluuya carry Queen & Slim through even the film’s roughest terrain, as they not only invite us to care about their characters, but, more importantly, their relationship.

The temptation for any such Bonnie and Clyde-inspired story of doomed lovers will always be to throw them in and hope for the best, forcing the couple together as soon as possible, yet that’s far from the case here, with the film patient enough to wait it out and keep their relationship feeling organic. Sliding steadily from an odd couple on their first Tinder date to inseparable criminal lovers on the run, Queen & Slim clearly knows the importance of making its central pairing natural and personable, but goes one step further by giving them both an alluring, adventurous edge.

Raw, captivating, and sexy as hell, Turner-Smith and Kaluuya own the screen both individually and as a pairing, as they channel the spirit of Dunaway and Beatty while injecting their own personality into their characters. In particular, Jodie Turner-Smith is a revelation, shining brightly with a powerful and enthralling performance that holds the screen and your attention. While Daniel Kaluuya is certainly the most recognisable name going into Queen & Slim, Turner-Smith will undoubtedly be the presence you’ll feel the most coming out of it.

As an unabashed and brazen Bonnie and Clyde love letter, Queen & Slim is happy to stick to the classic’s well-worn path, yet, thanks to its powerfully contemporary themes, Melina Matsoukas’ elegant directing style, and the captivating performances of its stars, the film sets itself apart from pure rehash territory and into something far more interesting. Tapping deep into painfully modern-day themes of race, police brutality, #BlackLivesMatter, and the role of social media, Queen & Slim takes its hard-hitting subject and paints it with broad, easily accessible brush strokes that, while certainly heavy-handed, make for a wild, entertaining, and thoroughly important ride.