Miles Ahead (2016)

Actually, pretty good.. I usually hold so much disdain for all Hollywood movie portrayals, whether they be jazz, doo-wop, rhythm and blues.. I always find them so over the top, ridiculous, more than often inaccurate both chronologically and factually. I thought Bird and Round Midnight were quite disappointing, but this montage of the life of Miles Davis was done artistically well. It's not a biography in the traditional sense with a beginning, a middle, and an ending, but rather selected incidents from the trumpeter's life with flashbacks-- a montage, as it were. Excellent performances, particularly by Cheadle, and especially impressive was the fact that Mr. Cheadle took the time to learn the actual trumpet fingerings and give true realism to this work, as a special treat to the trumpeters in the audience. Worth seeing a least once, maybe twice...

If you are expecting a bio of Miles Davis, you will be disappointed. If you want to see an actor portray Miles Davis as he was, you will love this movie.It is really just a two day adventure in the life of the Dark Prince, which may or may not have actually happened. But it is definitely how Miles would have done it. Don Cheadle did a jaw dropping portrayal.If you know about Miles you will not be surprised by the violent brooding personality displayed here. The film suggests it was caused by his pining for his beloved ex wife, I don't know, but it is very believable.As far as the soundtrack goes, we are treated to brief Miles Davis standards. The scene were the character of Junior is rehearsing in a club, is the best musically. This is definitely for Miles fans. You will have fun, but don;t expect to learn anything new about the life of the Dark Prince.

I read about the story line before watching and expected a disappointment (as a miles fan) but it was not that horrible. This is actually two movies: an invented part about miles, some journalist and stolen tapes and historical accurate flashbacks on miles earlier life. The stolen tape story is over the top and kind of unnecessary but its not that unfunny. don cheadle is doing a great job holding it together, keeping the movie from turning into some cartoon. would have preferred a real bio-pic but thats coming from a miles davis fan and the average movie goer probably appreciates the added action. where the movie really shines are the flashbacks to miles career and life in the 50s and 60s. they did a hell of a job recreating scenes in the recording studio, on the stage etc...its sadly just a minor part of the movie, but its something.

A jazzman's movie. Miles Ahead is a touching tribute to one of history's greatest jazz musicians. Don Cheadle is mesmerizing as Miles Davis. The film itself has all the fluidity and rhythm of a real Miles Davis piece. While Davis riffed on his horn, Cheadle riffs on the cutting room floor. We skip through time, as we discover Miles in his heyday, and his hiatus. Because this is such a rough editing technique to pull of, some of the film seems a bit clunky. Certain story lines don't always coincide with the main story itself. To be honest, I enjoyed Mile's comeback story a lot better than I liked the story of his long-lost love. The journey to get the tape back was really funny, faced paced and loose. Compared to films such as Get on Up, and Ray, Miles Ahead looks shallow. But the film does shine, and when it does, it shines brightly.