"Miles Ahead" Review

Oscar-nominated actor Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Captain America: Civil War) makes his feature writing and directorial debut with Miles Ahead, a fictionalized account of a few days in the life of jazz musician Miles Davis during his self-imposed "retirement" in the late 1970s.

Miles Ahead bucks traditional "biopic" formula by charting a very specific period as opposed to an entire life / career. It's actually more of a crime caper with biopic elements, such as flashbacks to his tumultuous relationship with ex-wife Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi). Cheadle weaves these elements together in a way that's far more engaging than your typical "Behind the Music" movie, and his performance as Davis is the electricity that keeps the whole thing crackling. That said, I walked out of the theater as if I had seen nothing spectacular. Nothing bad, mind you; just nothing that's going to go down in history as a towering cinematic achievement.

The story is actually quite interesting even if it isn't all necessarily true. Davis (Cheadle) is living as a bitter recluse at his home in New York City when he is visited by Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor), a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine who hopes to get a scoop on the musician's comeback story. Turns out, Davis has actually recorded new music since falling off the scene, and the record company wants it badly. Harper Hamilton (Michael Stuhlbarg) manages a new up-and-comer (Keith Stanfield) whom everyone hopes will replace Davis. To seal their deal with Columbia Records, Harper and his cronies attempt to get their hands on Miles' new tape by any means necessary.

The film was shot entirely in my home city of Cincinnati, which makes a fine double for mid-to-late 20th century New York. Between this film and last year's Carol, I hope the city continues to attract A-list talent. The production design is great. Between that and the 16mm film stock Cheadle shot much of the movie on, Miles Ahead boasts a palpably gritty, 1970s feel that's evocative of some "blaxploitation" films of the era.

What ultimately killed the film for me was the #SocialMusic concert playing over the credits. At the end of the film, Dave speaks to Miles about what's next, to which Miles replies "A comeback." The second he says that, the film cuts straight to live footage of a present-day concert with Cheadle in full makeup playing onstage with Herbie Hancock, complete with modern light show and social media blurbs. It just feels too far out of context to make any sense whatsoever. A final title card shows Davis' silhouette with the text "1926 -." The real Miles Davis died in 1991, but the film makes an odd way of ultimately saying that even if you manage to "kill the trumpet player," his music and legacy will live forever. I ended up getting it, but that's a nice message that didn't need to be muddled so.

In the end Miles Ahead is a decent picture, albeit something of a letdown. Cheadle shows promise as a filmmaker, however, and should eventually produce a more confidently executed piece. It's worth seeing, but this won't be an Oscar hopeful.

B-