Miles Ahead (2016)

Movie Summary
"Miles Ahead" is an American biographical drama film of 2016 directed by Don Cheadle, who co-wrote the script with Steven Baigelman, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson. The narrative, loosely based on the life of jazz legend Miles Davis, includes Cheadle in the lead role, who also co-produced the film.

Setting and Character Portrayal
The film is embeded in the 1970s and 80s throughout Davis's five-year duration of seclusion and drug addiction, interspersed with flashbacks from more effective times when he was at the height of his profession. Cheadle's mannerisms record the essence of the musician, who was a mix of eccentric genius and self-destructive habits. The flashbacks depict Davis's past love life, especially his turbulent marital relationship with the beautiful Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi), former dancer turned starlet. The film also stars Ewan McGregor as the consistent and desperate Rolling Stone reporter, Dave Braden, who requires his method into Davis's jagged life.

Story Development
"Miles Ahead" is less a standard, sequential bio and more a snapshot of Davis's life throughout his rough years, far from his fame. It begins with Davis having turned his back on the public eye, his house a mess of master tapes, sketches, and drugs. When Braden gets here unwelcome to carry out an interview, Davis is furious but soon forms an unlikely alliance with him when he understands that his unreleased tapes are taken and sold to a sleazy music producer, Harper (Michael Stuhlbarg). The duo starts a gun-ridden quest to obtain the taken tapes combined with Davis's revision of his previous days of magnificence and stopping working marital relationship.

Themes
The film checks out themes of love, loss, dependency, anxiety, and creative struggle. Davis's dystopian present is contrasted with the past, showing the harmful impacts of his substance abuse and the loss of his love. The film doesn't shy away from illustrating his complicated relationship with Taylor, highlighting the extreme love, idolization, control, and violence that co-existed within it.

Stylistic Elements
Mimicking the improvisational style of jazz music, the film often seems like a set of riffs with scenes shifting from previous to present, real life to hallucinations. The instructions preserves a strong parallels of continuous action with discords of Davis's life, punctuated by the artist's popular solos.

Reception and Critic Reviews
"Miles Ahead" received combined reviews from critics upon its release, with praise offered for Cheadle's immersive efficiency and instructions, and criticism for its fragmented narrative structure. However, many concurred that the movie caught the spirit of Davis's music and intricacies of his bold character authentically. The movie was a homage to Davis's enduring legacy, painting a photo of a deeply flawed man, whose contributions to jazz genuinely made him miles ahead in his time.

Top Cast