SPOILER: Fruitvale Station (2013) was written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Michael B. Jordan plays Oscar Grant III, an African-American man who was shot to death in the Fruitvale BART station on January 1st, 2009. The man who killed him was a police officer. The killer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served about two years in jail.

The film follows Grant through his last day of life--December 31st, 2008. We watch as Grant interacts with his common-law wife, their young daughter, friends, relatives and strangers. Grant comes across as a basically decent man--flawed, undependable, but clearly in love with his family, his partner. and their little girl.

It's hard to enjoy this film, because it's based on a truly tragic event, and we know how the story will end from the beginning of the movie. Still, Fruitvale Station is definitely worth seeing, because it reminds us that everyone's life is always at risk, but that the risks for young, African-American men are higher.

The movie will work well on DVD. It's definitely worth seeking out and seeing.

I was much moved by Fruitvale Station which is the name of one of the stations of the Bay Area Rapid Transit or BART as its known to the citizens of Oakland and San Francisco. On January 1 of 2009 among a group of crowded revelers on the BART train, an incident took place that cost young Oscar Grant his life.

Police shot young Grant and in this day of cellphone cameras which everyone but me seems to have it's impossible to get away with a lot of bad behavior. In this case the police shot Grant while he was cuffed and on the ground.

Oscar Grant is portrayed with deep insight by Michael B. Jordan and the film with some flashback sequences including one where he is in prison and has an incident that bears on what happened on 1/1/09, it's the story of his last day of life. We see a young man trying to turn his life around, a quite ordinary individual. Like in The Diary Of Anne Frank you are struck with just how ordinary young Mr. Grant was, just as the occupants of that 3rd floor attic.

I worked for several years at New York State Crime Victims Board before retirement and part of my job was to evaluate police work. I saw the gamut of work from truly heroic to unbelievably atrocious. The thing that always struck me was first assessment. Cops arrive on the scene and make an assessment immediately of who's bad or good. What happened on that BART train was nothing that Grant or his friends started, but cops on the scene, possibly as a result of prejudice made wrong judgments and that led to tragedy.

Fruitvale Station will get a flock of awards I've no doubt, maybe even in the big show with the Academy Awards. It's a fine film with lessons in it for all of us, especially those in law enforcement.

Based on the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) whose life was cut short on a train platform after he was shot by BART police. He was a man with a child and a criminal past which would come back to haunt him as he gets into a fight with an ex-prisonmate.

Melonie Diaz plays the girlfriend. Octavia Spencer plays the mom. They are both very solid. Michael B. Jordan is able to play both the cocky young man, and the young father/boyfriend struggling to get his life on track. For most of this movie, it's a well acted movie with limited drama. The whole time we're waiting for the moment that is bound to come.

And that section comes filled with tension. It is intense, and unflinching. There is no sugar coating this. Things get out of control. Even Oscar is partly responsible. It is haunting story of unnecessary loss.