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8/10
Interesting take on a 'biopic' of an intensely interesting person. Has a very free form 'impressionistic' feel to it, not dissimilar to the subject's music. Which largely makes sense, as the inspiration for the film.
Cheadle, as usual, is very good in the lead as Davis.
Would have scored higher but the 'interesting take on a biopic' does have it's negatives as per spoilers:
The film seems to suggest the story we're largely watching is what might be imagined in Davis' head when asked to tell his story in an interview. He starts free form playing in the interview and we see this fictional 'story' he's playing as the majority of the film (with some presumably 'real life' inspired memories/moments from the past sprinkled in).
This largely works and is a smart and creative way to deal with the usual pitfalls of a biopic as long as you're open to something less textbook or straightforward.
Where it fails a bit IMO is that at times it falls in to a sort of Lethal Weapon-esque white/black guy buddy-comedy feel at times. While that is possibly explainable as Davis simply adding a little fun/excitement/humour to his imagined story he's creating in his head (and 'telling'/playing), it detracts a bit from the actual film.
So, interesting concept, I'm just not sure if was executed as well as it could have been.
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