Equal Standard Movie Review | Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

Equal Standard Movie NR 2021 101 minutes Equal Standard Poster Image
  • Common Sense Says
  • Parents Say 0 Reviews
  • Kids Say 0 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Sandie Angulo Chen By Sandie Angulo Chen , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Relevant but heavy-handed police drama about race, violence.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Equal Standard is a drama about a Black detective who, while off duty, is profiled and shot at by a White police officer and then shoots back in self-defense. The story delves into race and racism among law enforcement officials, as well as the widespread distrust and anger in communities…

 Why Age 16+? Language

Constant strong language includes "f--k," "f--king," "mindf--k," and the "N" wor

 Violence & Scariness

Lots of gun violence, including cops and civilians shooting. Movie starts with a

 Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Drug dealers and gang members speak openly about their business. Brief glimpses

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Married couple embraces and kisses.

 Products & Purchases Not present Any Positive Content? Positive Messages

Promotes need for police to engage with communities they're charged to serve and

 Positive Role Models

Chris, his wife, and their inner circle of friends are all upstanding police off

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Equal Standard is a drama about a Black detective who, while off duty, is profiled and shot at by a White police officer and then shoots back in self-defense. The story delves into race and racism among law enforcement officials, as well as the widespread distrust and anger in communities of color who don't believe that the police serve and protect them. There's strong language in nearly every scene of the movie, including countless uses of "f--k," "f--king," "motherf----r," "s--t," "bitch," and the "N" word (used by both Black and White characters, with very different meanings). There's also rampant weapons violence, with police officers and civilians shooting and pointing guns at one another. Police officers also shoot and kill unarmed Black men. Families who watch will have lots to discuss, like how law enforcement can become more accountable to the communities they serve and what needs to happen for people to trust police officers.

    To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

  • Language

    a lot

    Constant strong language includes "f--k," "f--king," "mindf--k," and the "N" word (said both by White and Black characters), as well as "spics," "motherf----r," "bitch," "ass," "pig" for police officer, etc.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Violence & Scariness

    a lot

    Lots of gun violence, including cops and civilians shooting. Movie starts with a White police officer shooting an unarmed Black man. In another scene, a White cop and his partner angrily approach two Black men, one of whom explains that he's an off-duty cop. But the cop on duty shoots him twice, so the Black cop returns fire. Gang members show their weapons to one another. A cop puts a gun right up to a man's face, says he can shoot him if he wants to, after shooting another man in the leg. Groups try to restrain police officers from detaining others. Two White men break into a Black family's house to put up a Confederate flag.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    some

    Drug dealers and gang members speak openly about their business. Brief glimpses of what's presumed to be a marijuana cigarette. A group of young adult friends (age undetermined) talk and drink at someone's home. A cop finds a baggie of drugs in a high schooler's possession.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    very little

    Married couple embraces and kisses.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Positive Messages

    some

    Promotes need for police to engage with communities they're charged to serve and protect without racism and prejudice. Clear messages about standing up for those who can't, keeping law enforcement accountable, recognizing what police officers should do to make sure they're not all feared and considered prejudiced. Themes include compassion, integrity, perseverance.

  • Positive Role Models

    some

    Chris, his wife, and their inner circle of friends are all upstanding police officers who work with their communities and don't like how their fellow officers treat Black and Brown people and neighborhoods. Chris is a caring and dedicated husband, father, police detective. Supporting characters are grieving the death of a loved one, but they're also openly racist.

Where to Watch

  • Equal Standard Trailer Equal Standard
  • Equal Standard Movie: Scene #1
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Equal Standard

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents Say
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What's the Story?

EQUAL STANDARD centers on Black NYPD Detective Chris Jones (Tobias Truvillion), who's married to Sergeant Jackie Jones (Syleena Johnson) and is well respected by colleagues and the folks in his outer-borough beat, which includes a mostly Black neighborhood. Tensions are high because a White police officer shot and killed an unarmed Black man, and Chris makes it clear that he thinks police officers need to be held accountable -- both to the communities they serve and to one another. His colleagues at the station agree that they all need to be more proactive in stamping out bad behavior and blindly defending fellow cops. One evening when he's off duty, Chris and a friend are exiting a bodega when two on-duty White cops approach them and demand to see their IDs in a hostile manner. Chris and his friend both try to explain that Chris is a police detective, but the cop doesn't believe it, and once Chris' service gun is spotted, the White officer shoots at him. Chris returns fire, and the violent incident amplifies tension in the are. Meanwhile, rival gang leaders (including a character played by Ice-T) call a ceasefire in order to focus on stopping cops from shooting more Black men, and a few openly racist White men organize a revenge plot against Chris for shooting a White officer.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say : Not yet rated Kids say: Not yet rated

Relevant themes and Truvillion's standout performance rescue this drama from preachy dialogue and an oversimplification of the tensions between Black communities and law enforcement. The movie starts off feeling like the pilot of a police TV series: Detective Jones puts on his badge and bids his beautiful daughter and wife farewell, but not before his wife -- a sergeant herself -- tells him to "be safe" and "come back to me." It's obvious from that moment that Jones is headed into dangerous waters. It's to Truvillion's credit that no matter how much sermonizing-like dialogue is said around him, he continues to act in a naturalistic manner. Jones is a conflicted character; he's understanding of and empathetic to how Black civilians perceive law enforcement, as well as critical of fellow cops who abuse their authority to harass the communities they're supposed to protect. Hands down, he's the best part of the movie, which occasionally loses its plot when it switches around to show "all sides" and shifts its focus to other characters and groups.

The themes that director Brendan Kyle Cochrane and writer Taheim Bryan explore in Equal Standard are important ones. They might have better supported those themes by focusing more on characters who aren't racist with a capital R but who still cause harm and struggle with their prejudices, like Detective Kevin McKenzie (Chris Kerson). And by introducing so many threads, the story gets frayed a bit, even though the central storyline is solid. The score, like the screenplay, can be heavy-handed in its sentimental approach, making it obvious what's going to happen at most important turns. Ultimately, the parts of the movie chronicling Jones are the most memorable, and his hurt and confusion at being shot by a fellow officer are well executed. The film is a timely reminder that accountability is necessary for law enforcement officials -- and it invites audiences to discuss concerns about institutional racism, overpolicing of Black neighborhoods, and lack of trust for police officers -- but in the end Equal Standard poses more questions than it answers.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Equal Standard. How realistic is it? What techniques do filmmakers use to create realistic violence as opposed to fantasy violence? Which has greater impact?

  • How do characters show compassion, integrity, and perseverance? Why are these important character strengths?

  • In what ways does the movie deal with racism and issues related to race? Are lessons learned? If so, how would you describe them? What do you think Detective Jones means when he says that what would fix the problem is "accountability"?

  • What do you think the path to reconciliation between communities of color and law enforcement looks like? Is it possible?

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Movie Details

  • In theaters : May 7, 2021
  • On DVD or streaming : May 7, 2021
  • Cast : Tobias Truvillion , Ice-T , Robert Clohessy
  • Director : Brendan Kyle Cochrane
  • Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
  • Studio : Mutiny Pictures
  • Genre : Action/Adventure
  • Character Strengths : Compassion , Integrity , Perseverance
  • Run time : 101 minutes
  • MPAA rating : NR
  • Last updated : May 20, 2021
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Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Equal Standard

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Related Topics

  • Compassion
  • Integrity
  • Perseverance

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