Queen & Slim

Daniel Kaluuya Director: Melina Matsoukas Melina Matsoukas

Overview

A young man named Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) asks a woman named Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) out on a date. Their romantic evening hits a snag when a local police officer (Sturgill Simpson) pulls them over, citing a traffic infraction as the cause. However, things soon go awry as tensions escalate, resulting in the death of the officer at Slim's hand. The young couple hit the road, on the run from the law after the media vilifies them for the episode. Their story sparks divisive responses across the country. Directed by Melina Matsoukas, co-starring Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, and Flea.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/03/2020
UPC:	0191329132838
Original Release:	2019
Rating:	R
Source:	Universal Studios
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	12,136

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Daniel Kaluuya	Slim
Jodie Turner-Smith	Queen
Chloë Sevigny	Actor
Indya Moore	Actor
Bokeem Woodbine	Uncle Earl
Jdvonte	Funeral Attendee
Benito Martinez	Sheriff Edgar
Flea	Actor
Kenneth Kynt Bryan	Funeral Attendee
Sturgill Simpson	Police Officer Reed
Jahi Di’Allo Winston	Junior
Colby Boothman	Teenage White Boy
Dominic Cancelliere	Lexus Driver
Karen Kaia Livers	Bar Owner
Robert Walker Branchaud	Police Officer 2
Scott Rapp	US Marshal
Andre De'Sean Shanks	Black Cop
Melanie Halfkenny	Naomi
ll Bertrand E. Boyd	Jackson
Thom Gossom	Slim's Dad
Justin Carmouche	Protestor
Lucky Johnson	Riot Cop
Joseph Poliquin	Actor
Bryant Tardy	Chubby
Gralen Bryant Banks	Older Black Man
Toney Chapman Steele	Police Officer
Roman Armstrong	Protest Leader
Brian Thornton	SWAT Team Leader
Austin Naulty	Monroe County SWAT
Divine Prince Ty Emmecca	Funeral Attendee
Reynolds Washam	Cop at Slim's Dad's
Mike R. Moreau	Police Officer
Erin Murphy	U.S. Marshal
Gregory Keith Grainger	Black Cop
Justice Lynn White	Actor
Michael Biss	Police
Joseph Singletary	Protester
Katrell Dixon	FBI
Calvin Williams	Juke Joint Patron
Monty Person	Savannah Police Officer
Rose Belara Young	Earl's Girl
Aleksei Iay Barrera	Prisoner

Technical Credits

James Frey

Lena Waithe

Melina Matsoukas	Director,Producer
Pamela Abdy	Producer
Pete Beaudreau	Editor
Guymon Casady	Executive Producer
Jason Cloth	Executive Producer
Andrew Coles	Producer
Carmen Cuba	Casting
Spencer Davison	Art Director
Ezra Dweck	Sound Editor
James Frey	Original Story,Producer,Screenwriter
Aaron L. Gilbert	Executive Producer
Pamela Hirsch	Executive Producer
Devonté Hynes	Score Composer
Aakomon "AJ" Jones	Choreography
Daniel Kaluuya	Executive Producer
Michelle Knudsen	Producer
Johnny Kubelka	Sound Mixer
Kier Lehman	Musical Direction/Supervision
Karen Murphy	Production Designer
Tat Radcliffe	Cinematographer
Shiona Turini	Costumes/Costume Designer
Lena Waithe	Executive Producer,Original Story,Screenwriter
Brad Weston	Producer
Jeremy Woolsey	Art Director

Editorial Reviews

Melina Matsoukas steps up to her feature-length directorial outing in style with Queen and Slim, the powerful story of two young, black, fate-crossed individuals as written by James Frey (A Million Little Pieces) and Lena Waithe (Bones). After a less-than-successful blind date arranged through Tinder, Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) is on his way to drop Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) off at home. But a swerve and a missed stop sign lead to a traffic stop, a struggle, and ultimately a dead policeman lying in the snow. This changes their lives and also their opinions of each other as the two try to survive and escape, even as they are both vilified and glorified after the public release of a video of the encounter. The story is steady, although there are a few brief slow moments. There is one violently shocking scene that seems forced into the script to make a point, and because of this, it is distressing rather than impacting. Also, despite the well-written script, a few of the characters are heavily repeated stereotypes. Fortunately, the writing counters this by drawing the viewers into the story, making them feel just as trapped as the main characters. This drama plays out dizzyingly at times, giving a feeling of facing the same challenges, fears, and hopelessness. This allows the audience to really appreciate and understand what Queen and Slim have to endure. This authenticity of the characters is made better by a clear understanding by the entire cast of exactly who they were portraying. Standing tall among them is Turner-Smith, who is appearing in her first feature film. Her performance as Queen is exceptional, evolving from a stiff defense attorney to a more open-minded individual as she and Slim spend more time together. Perhaps the greatest shortcoming of the film lies in its continuity issues. Many of the backgrounds, although accurate in appearance, don't seem to match up fully with where the couple is located during their journey. Fortunately, the raw sets of backroads and byways outweigh this in most cases. They get assistance from clever cinematography and a soundtrack that carries the tale along well. Queen and Slim, despite its failure to address that not everyone is a cookie-cutter character, does present a solid story of what could be, what has been, and what shouldn't continue to exist. It should be entertaining for anyone who enjoys thrilling dramas, particularly since it doesn't try to cop out with the ending.

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