Equal Standard follows the intersecting stories of Black and white NYPD police offers, victims, and rival gangs as they deal with issues of racism, bias, and police brutality. Detective Chris Jones (Tobias Truvillion) and his wife, Sergeant Jackie Jones (Syleena Johnson), both understand the harsh realities of their jobs, and what’s going on in their neighborhood. They have a young daughter, and every day they put on their bulletproof vests and pray that they all make it back home safely. This morning, Jackie woke up with a bad feeling that something was going to happen to her husband. A young Black man was recently shot and killed by a white cop as he reached for his cell phone, and tensions are now running high across the city. After his shift, Chris heads to a bodega with a friend, but as they exit they shop, two white cops approach them, aggressively asking to see some ID. As Chris tries to explain that he’s a cop and that his ID is in his car across the street, Detective McKenzie pulls his gun and starts firing on Chris, who returns fire in self defense. As Internal Affairs Detective Rullan (Robert Clohessy) looks into the matter, Chris is put on desk duty. Meanwhile, Detective McKenzie’s younger brother Josh (Brad Fleischer) is already plotting retaliation against Chris, and McKenzie’s partner, Officer Mitchell (Myles Clohessy), is conveniently leaving out details from his version of the events, to make Chris look guilty and his partner innocent. Elsewhere in the city, some rival gang members (Fredro Starr, Anthony ‘Treach’ Criss, Taheim Bryan, Ice-T) call a temporary truce to put on a united front against the recent events.

I went into this movie thinking it was going to be a bit one-sided, but I was impressed by how Equal Standard lives up to its name, tackling the issues from lots of different points of view. The film includes not only a story of a young Black man shot by a white cop, but also a Black cop being investigated for shooting a fellow white officer. For the latter, there are viewpoints presented from both sides, from those who support Chris’ actions and those who don’t. There is also an intersecting story of a Latino officer, Detective Jean Rivera (Gerard Cordero), who seems to have prejudice towards, and a vendetta against, the gang members. But at the same time, one of the gang members’ girlfriends explains to the others that she understands where the cops are coming from, and how they might just be scared while trying to doing their jobs. And while there is the story of Josh plotting revenge against Chris, we also see his brother, Detective Kevin McKenzie (Chris Kerson), trying to stop Chris, and stating that he would put his duty as an officer above his family if his brother crosses the line. The film explores all different ideas of what it is to be a cop in this type of neighborhood, and the good, the bad, and the ugly people who take on this occupation.

While I think the motivation and premise of the film was really good, the acting and execution left a lot to be desired. The dialogue was sometimes so cliché, such as a gang member saying “I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6”, or else so heavy-handed, like Chris’ daughter asking him, “Daddy do white cops hate Black people?”. There were also things like Josh seeking help from the Klan when plotting his revenge, which felt almost like they were just trying to tick a box, because it then played no part in the rest of the movie. The acting also generally felt so methodical and overly-dramatic, with lots of long-winded speeches and preachy “the more you know” type lessons. It often felt like I was watching one of those lower-budget faith-based films. The gang scenes also didn’t really make a lot of sense to me. It was never really explained why Detective Rivera was always harassing them, and when the cops weren’t around, it was just a lot of cursing and constantly calling each other the N word—the scenes didn’t really seem to serve any purpose or move the story along. It was more like, We have Ice-T, so let’s just keep using him. I wish the film had been better acted/written as it did have a noble goal and tried to tell a more well-rounded story than you typically get with this type of movie.

Mill Creek’s Blu-ray release features a solid, clean picture that captures the grittiness of the city beautifully. There are some really stunning shots of the Brooklyn Bridge and other locales. The audio track also brings to life the ambiance of the city, utilizing the surround channel nicely, while also providing clear dialogue throughout. I was surprised that for a brand new movie, the only bonus material included was the film’s trailer. I wish there had been a commentary track or featurette to help further the message of the movie. The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase, without a slipcover or digital copy.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:40:07)

• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• Trailer (2:01)

Final Thoughts:

Equal Standard tackles some tough subjects in a way that feels balanced, offering several different points of views, and has a great overall message of unity and hope. However, things get a bit cliché and heavy-handed at times, and the acting often feels a bit novice and overly-dramatic. For fans of the film, the disc features excellent picture and sound, but unfortunately lacks any bonus material. The film may be worth a look due to the subject matter it covers, I just wish the execution had been better.