Small Axe: Mangrove

Director: Steve McQueen
Year Released: 2020
Rating: 2.0

In Notting Hill, police officers don't leave restaurant owner Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes) alone, raiding his establishment because they "suspect" it's a cover-up for "nefarious" activities (drugs, prostitution, etc.) with no proof ... and then the Black Panthers get involved in the mix.  For the first half, it's the same deal as 12 Years a Slave - more Liberal Guilt bait - with sneering white cops calling the black individuals "savages" (and even worse things) when not pummeling them, and it congratulates the audience for recognizing that this is immoral - when it switches to a courtroom drama, it gets a little more tolerable (there's at least some more composure) from a dramatic standpoint, although it can't bring itself to put away the platitudes.  It could be paired with The Trial of the Chicago 7 (with Sacha Baron Cohen), but I feel like Sorkin has a softer touch with similar material ... and a sense of humor.