Miles Ahead (2015) User Reviews (69)

Cheadle Shines

[gregsrants · 6/10 · 22 March 2016]

The life and music of Miles Dewey Davis, better known as Miles Davis, is on display in the new bio-pic, Miles Ahead. Don Cheadle wears as many hats as afforded to him playing the title character as well as appearing in the credits as producer and director in a film that showcases Cheadle's talent and offers a strong case in ensuring the Oscar's have some color on the stage at next year's telecast.

The film opens in the later years of Miles' life. He has already reached fame and fortune. But his drug addiction has turned him into a Howard Hughes recluse. And he has temporarily turned his back on music. The story opens with Miles alone in his home when he is aggressively approached by Rolling Stone magazine writer Dave Brill (Ewan McGreggor) who is interested in writing about Miles' new project. The opportunistic Brill gets swept into a fantastical series of events that include following Miles as he confronts his record label, procures cocaine and is chased through the streets in a hail of gunfire by unscrupulous folk looking to advance their worldly standing through the theft of Miles' still-in-progress demo tape.

The events that unfold are not based on historical fact. But it doesn't matter. Miles Ahead is more a movie about the attitude and persona of legend Miles Davis than it is a straight up account of a fraction of the musician's life.

By way of flashbacks, we get a glimpse into the more serene life of Miles Davis before drugs off-tracked his career. A clean cut Davis is seen rising in ranks through the Jazz clubs of America and eventually falling for Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi) who would eventually become his wife of 10-years.

The film doesn't dive too deeply into the domestic violence between the two lovers that became headlines back in the early 60's nor does it touch too intensively the racial tensions in America at the time. There is a scene where Davis is unprovokingly harassed by police officers and taken to jail for simply showing kindness to a woman of white skin, but the film has no message to present in terms of Miles' involvement with racial divides at the time. Instead, Cheadle keeps the camera focused on a single day in the broken down icon's history. This works largely to the films advantage but sacrifices giving us a glimpse into the life of the historic character.

Don Cheadle is a revelation as Miles. The raspy voice, the trumpet playing, the belligerence. All are played exactly on key. The supporting cast does amply in tow but there is little to look at outside of Cheadle's performance.

For this particularly story, things do work out well in the end. Relatively. We had hoped for end credit title cards that would have told us more about the man. Those unfamiliar with Miles Davis might have wanted to know if he was still alive or what became of Frances Taylor after their split. Even a short blurb unveiling Miles' nine Grammy Awards would have been refreshingly educational at film's end.

Miles Ahead is not the be-all of musician movies. But I would categorize Cheadle's performance of the late trumpet player as one of the better performances of a real-life musician on screen. It's good enough to recommend the film to anyone. Jazz fan or not.

a trippy trip of cool Miles

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 14 April 2016]

Greetings again from the darkness. What would rate as the bigger challenge: defining jazz or describing the life of Miles Davis? In true "passion project" mode, Don Cheadle not only portrays the iconic trumpeter, but also directs, co-writes and co-produces. Cheadle's tribute to The Prince of Darkness is as open to interpretation as the hundreds of songs from Davis' recordings over thirty plus years.

Having stated in numerous interviews that he had no interest in the usual "cradle-to-grave" biopic, Cheadle's odd blend of fact, fiction and hallucination are meant to capture the essence of Miles Davis, rather than the life and times of the man. Guns, drugs, music, girls, and art are all present throughout this trippy trip of a movie that plays like an impressionistic painting, and not a portrait.

The bulk of the film is spent on Miles Davis during his self-imposed six year drug-fueled hiatus in the 1970's when he secluded himself in Howard Hughes fashion. There is an odd and ill-fitting plot involving the "secret" master tapes that Davis has recorded while waiting for his manager (Michael Stuhlbarg as Harper Hamilton) to pay him the money he is owed. Mixed in is a "Rolling Stone" writer named Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor) desperately trying to get an interview with Miles and listen to the tapes. This mad caper-ish core benefits greatly from the quick cuts to the past … especially those featuring Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi) as Miles' beautiful, talented and supportive wife.

Of course, we shouldn't expect linear story-telling from a man whose life was anything but linear. After all, we are focused on the man who claimed his music was not "jazz", but rather "Social Music" … and that "it takes a long time to play like yourself". The car chases and gunfights might seem out of place, but do capture the essence of a man fueled by drugs and a possible (temporary) loss of his creative genius. Perhaps, as the movie suggests, Miles was remorseful for how he treated Frances. Or maybe it was simply the pressure of being Miles Davis …. The coolest of Cool Jazz.

Mr. Cheadle does a nice job in portraying Davis, and is spot on in the trademark raspy whisper which Miles was known for (the after-effects of a larynx operation in the 1950's). Ms. Corinealdi (to appear in the new "Roots" project later this year) is outstanding as Frances Taylor, and is the one character we latch on to in hopes of maintaining our bearings throughout.

Taking its title from a 1957 Miles Davis album, the movie offers a glimpse into the mind of a musical genius who didn't always fit into "proper" society, and would be the perfect pairing for a head-scratching trumpeter double-bill with the recent "Born to be Blue", a look at Chet Baker.

No wonder I haven't heard of it nor it didn't do well 5/10

[saadanathan · 5/10 · 2 April 2022]

Miles Ahead tells the story... well, not quite. The story of Miles Davis in the 70's. Going back and forth to the 50's. With all my love to the man himself, I gotta say the movie isn't so good. Let me break it down a little: When you want to see a biography about a person, you would normally want to see his journey, his creations and art being shown, a bit of his struggles and personal life. You don't want to see a fictional journey of the person that has nothing to do with the man himself.

I have stated in the past that there have been many biography movies in the past few years depicting the lives of celebrities, when so many origin movies are being made so it loses its specificity and becomes cheap and ordinary.

In Miles Davis's case, they made a complete fictional story surrounding Miles, something a bit bizarre and odd. Even though I was a bit interested with this sort of plot. I would have rather done another biography depicting Miles Davis's career, the start, the middle and end. Have the movie focus on the music only. The music is what's important.

Luckily we do get to hear all of Miles's music, from "Kind of Blue" and "Sketches of Spain" to the 80's music.

Overall I guess the whole fictional shenanigan journey was just not good enough for the movie and probably was better to have a more simple plot line.

Fun Hallucinatory Biopic

[JasonT413 · 7/10 · 3 October 2017]

Don Cheadle Directs Himself as Miles Davis, Nice Job on what If I remember correctly is his directorial debut. The film ping-pongs back and forth from the early 80's, right before Miles comes back from a 5 year or so hiatus to the 50's/60's era when he was married to dancer Frances Taylor.

The film has a madcap side to it with Ewan Mcgregor in a fun turn as a Rolling Stone reporter out to interview Miles and almost doubling as Miles' sidekick in a romp through the city (New York?) in the early 80's.

I don't want to give much away but I recommend the film, it is pretty amusing and jazz + biopic fans will find much to enjoy!

Miles deserves better, just O.K.

[lafrondaindiecinemacritic · 6/10 · 19 May 2016]

Miles Ahead (2016) 1hr. 40 min.

Miles Davis is one of the best jazz musicians of all time. Davis was one of those musicians that really conveyed great talented passion and emotion in his trumpet playing. Miles made a great album in particular his 1959 masterpiece" Kind of Blue". Which Rolling Stone magazine voted it as one of the best albums of all time, regardless of genre of music. His life should've been made ages ago, unfortunately it took 2016 for a Davis film to be made, with Don Cheadle playing the great musician and also making his directorial debut.

The film takes place in 1980, where Davis hasn't made an album in five years and has recorded on but does not want the album released without his permission. He would prefer to snort his new drug of choice, cocaine than work on any releasable music. He is also hates to do interviews but a persistent one from Rolling Stone writer Dave (Ewan McGregor) who wants desperately to interview the legend and follows him to his record company at Columbia records and talks to a the President of Columbia, Harper (Michael Stahlberg) whose ethics are not honorable and demands Dave to coax Davis to send his most recent work to work with a talented musician (Keith Stansfield), who is also a junkie heroin addict. The one drug that Davis was once addicted to. Miles has no desire to give his boss anything and threatens his boss with a gun to leave him the hell alone.

Dave decides to take matters into his own hands with questionable ethics, to get his dream of an interview with a legend and says he know someone who can give him good coke. On the basis of drug use they become good friends. The first part of the movie is about a cat and mouse game of Davis music recording becomes of tug of war of who has the upper hand in who will eventually get Davis most recent recording. Another main subplot is more interesting is the relationship between Davis and his greatest love and muse Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corlneaidi) which takes place in the 1950's. The film deals with their courtship, marriage and Davis wanting Frances to give up her career as a dancer when they marry. To all of the predictable, nonetheless interesting because it is well acted are the relationships of Davis girlfriends and his infidelity and his addiction to a drug that makes him paranoid. The film contends that the relationship with Frances gave him the greatest creative musical prowess and his music was at its great peak when Davis dated and married Frances.

The film other subplot is also not very original but the car chase sequences back and forth between Davis and Dave vs. Harper and is crooked associate's is not very interesting and lacking in energy. Miles Davis deserved a better treatment in a subplot that is right out of the many car chases we have seen in the movies since the standard of car chases in the great 1971 action cop movie The French Connection. A car chase still can be entertaining if those scenes can offer something thrilling, this film action scenes are rather dull and pointless. The other love story is predictable but well-acted with Corlnealdi a standout as Davis's greatest love. Don Cheadle is very good as the great trumpeter, I just wish it was in a movie that dealt with a more interesting story of Davis life, maybe coming to terms with his coke addiction and his marriage to the great actress Cicely Tyson. Cheadle does a very good job of directing his first feature, but as it stands, more should have been made of his personal struggles with addiction and more of the great jazz that people love with great intensity.

Fortunately, the ending is so well done that it salvages the good in the film.

[texshelters · 6/10 · 6 July 2016]

Miles Ahead: the Film's Ending Saves Davis

Miles Ahead is an interesting take on the life of the jazz master. It's not a standard biopic telling a tale of the rise, then fall, then rebirth of an artist. Miles Ahead starts toward the end of his career when he is 'taking a break' from performing and recording. We learn that Davis has a deal with Colombia Records to start recording again, but he has yet to follow up when the film starts.

Several plot lines run throughout the film. However, the only one that is fully explored is his marriage. It runs the standard arc of plots with an introduction, conflict, plot points and resolution. The other stories within this film are not so successfully explored.

We have an idea why Davis took time off, but we don't get the full picture of his talents and his method for writing. More time spent on his work and less time with his interactions with the record label and the Rolling Stone magazine writer would have made this film more profound and enjoyable.

Don Cheadle is excellent at embodying the conflicts of the artist. It is not a salute to an idol, it is a full exposé, the talent, his influence, his trouble working with others, his addictions, and his struggle with fame. Davis at once hates his fame and desires to focus on the music while also uses it to get what he wants and to manipulate others. It's his love-hate relationship with his stardom that is the crux of the film in like of his past. However, the film doesn't go deep enough to satisfy your regular audience member that knows little about the man.

A major problem with the film is that while is does well in presenting the marriage and his conflicts with his fame, it also stupidly tries to be an action film. The relationship with the Rolling Stone writer just distracts from the heart of the story and plays out like a Three Stooges bit. Ewan McGregor is out of place as writer Dave Brill and can't bring enough charisma to the screen to make it work. The plot line with the writer is an annoying distraction from the acting of Cheadle and the struggles of an artist.

Thus, for all its good, and it has a lot of good, I only recommend two-thirds of the film. Fortunately, the ending is so well done that it salvages the good in the film.

Rating: Matinée

Cheadle is excellent at playing Davis, but his poor writing and directing decisions detract from what is an otherwise interesting film about a master musician.

Peace, Tex Shelters

An Imaginative Take on Miles

[108YearsOld · 6/10 · 17 May 2019]

Deliberately different from what a Miles' fan would construct the image of Miles by reading the autobiography and various biographies, the movie is competently produced, and fun to watch for Miles' fans.

The live at the end showcasing Miles' proteges of his legendary quintet (65~68), Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, with the director Don Cheadle impersonating Miles, is simply priceless.

Ingenious film reflects Miles Music and Art

[ElliottSmall · 10/10 · 13 October 2015]

Absolutely stunning! Attended the world premiere at the NewYork film festival this past weekend. As the film ended, my mind felt entranced. The film's rapid clip style and dramatic ending made me film as if I had viewed one of Mile's mind blowing paintings. Somehow, it all seemed to come together as one mental image at the end. An ingenious portrayal of both Miles music and painting style. Along with the fabulous music throughout, the movie even included a clip of miles working on one of his paintings, as if the cue us in on the films approach.

The music of Miles Davis provides the background for many of the scenes and it is performed in many scenes. As Miles was also an accomplished abstract painter, he is also featured creating some of his artwork. His challenges, triumphs and failures in love, the music industry, music composition, health, etc. compose a collage that comes together like one of his abstract paintings. At the end, a stunning scene brings it all together and emphasizes the phenomenal impact of the Miles music through today, for all time, and across many genres.

Actually, pretty good...

[jazzfi · 6/10 · 24 February 2017]

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...

This Movie Misses The Mark By A Million Miles !

[georgewilliamnoble · 3/10 · 26 April 2016]

I really was looking foreword to this film, i love classic jazz and Miles Davis stands with Charlie Parker as the best of the best, but oh dear this film is just dreadful and on so many levels it is a disaster from first to last. Where to begin, well the films scrip and plot revolves round his Howard Hughes like recluse years when he withdrew from performing and casts what i believe to be a purely fictitious chase all over town after a stolen session tape, with a writer looking for a story hugging his heels.cue loads of bad language as Don Cheadle who has a passing resemblance to the jazz genius profanes crudely and engages in crazy gun fights and threatens all and sundry with a gun to there face. Now we know Miles Davis had a dark side but where is the evidence for this nonsense that seems straight out of a "blackspoiltation" B movie of the seventies complete with stilted dialogue glibly uttered. Clint Eastwood gave us "Bird" a masterful film on Charlie Parker, Miles Davis deserves a film of equal stature not this all together embarrassingly wooden fiction that is all together empty. At last over the end titles we get to listen to some Miles Davis jazz, i at least i enjoyed these moments as the small audience silently walked out.

Den Cheadle shines in Miles Davis movie (don't call it a bio-pic)

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 17 April 2016]

"Miles Ahead" (2015 release; 100 min.) is a movie about the jazz legend Miles Davis. As the movie opens, we are in 1980, and Miles is being interviewed, and comments to the reporter: "Don't call my music jazz, it's social music!". It's not long before another reporter, Rolling Stone's Dave Braden, chases down Miles, to write a "come-back story in Miles' own words". We then go back to the 1950s, as Miles is breaking big. One day he meets Francis, and he is immediately smitten with her. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first and foremost, this movie is a labor of love AND a tour-de-force by Don Cheadle, who stars in the title role and directs, and he also co-wrote the script and co-produced. His performance as Miles Davis is spot-on, and towers above everyone else. Sorry Ewan McGregor (as the Rolling Stone reporter), and sorry also Emayatzy Corinealdi (as Frances). Cheadle's brilliant performance covers up the somewhat confusing back-and-forth between the "present" (i.e. late 70s) and the flashbacks in the 50s. Please note that "Miles Ahead" is not a bio-pic, nor is it intended as one. Cheadle (whose vision for the film was fully supported by the Miles family) simply picked two periods of Miles' life and attempts to give us a flavor of what Miles Davis the man was like. At that, I think Cheadle succeeds. If you don't care for the music of Miles Davis (?), by all means avoid this film, as it is chock-full of outstanding music (check out the excellent soundtrack, available here on Amazon). The very last scene of the movie is a live performance with participating in the band none other that Herbie Hancock, Gary Clark Jr. and Esperanza Spalding, just to name those. Just fantastic. Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that 95% of the movie was shot on location here in Cincinnati. Yes indeed, just like Todd Haynes' film "Carol" a few months ago, there are certain sections of Cincinnati that apparently easily stand in for New York back in the day.

"Miles Ahead" finally opened this weekend on two screens at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and the Sunday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended quite nicely. I doubt that this movie is going score huge at the box office, but hopefully it'll find some legs at the art-house theater circuit. If you are curious to find out more about Miles Davis, or simply want to admire the stellar performance of Don Cheadle, you cannot go wrong with "Miles Ahead", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This is really good but the real reason to watch is for Don Cheadle. He gives a career defining performance

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 18 July 2016]

"Don't call me music jazz, it's social music." Health complications has forced Miles Davis (Cheadle) into a type of forced retirement. When Rolling Stone reporter Dave Braden (McGregor) shows up to interview Miles Dave is met with resistance. He begins to see just how crazy Miles really is, and then when one of Miles' private recordings goes missing he really gets a taste of the mad genius that is one of the greatest musical minds of all time. This is a different type of bio-pic. Like the special features say this is not a cradle to the grave movie, its a heist movie involving Miles Davis. As weird as that sounds it really works and breathes new life into this genre. That said Cheadle really inhabits this person. He co-wrote, directed and starred in this and really hits it out of the park on all three. The movie flows like Miles' music. It is very loose and not structured like a normal film is but it works and you wonder why everyone can't do things like this. The movie is really good but the real reason to watch is for Don Cheadle. He gives a career defining performance and I would not be surprised to see him nominated for many awards for this movie. Overall, a movie much like Miles' music, at first you are trying to catch up to what is going on but when you finally settle in you just sit back and enjoy watching the madness unfold. I recommend this. I give this a high B.

Music great, disappointing film.

[a-fawcett616 · 2/10 · 28 April 2016]

This film had wonderful music, but I thought it incoherent and self-indulgent. If someone who doesn't know a lot about jazz, and thinks this film would be a good place to start, they will probably be put off, and worse, will deduce that many jazz musicians are druggies and nasty people.

It isn't a biopic. It is a sketch of a very small part of Miles' life. Even though I know he was a difficult person, this film emphasized the negatives in his personality rather than the positives.

It is a wasted opportunity to make a memorable film about this great musician.

If your going to tell a story, tell it with some attitude, don't be corny about it!

[subxerogravity · 7/10 · 15 May 2016]

Never was a statement so true from the mouth of Don Cheadle as Miles Davis in this masterpiece, Miles Ahead.

It's a movie that is a visual persona of what Miles Davis was accomplishing with his music. Miles Ahead lives up to it's name.

For the first few minutes I was a little disappointed because I was expecting more of a biopic about the Jazz legend. Instead it focuses on Miles Davis attempts to protect his music form those who can't wait to see what he has produced after a five year hiatus and exploit it. It also flashbacks to a time of Davis' relationship with his wife.

I loved Cheadle's interpretation of Davis, it was everything I expected the icon to be and I love Ewan McGregor's supporting role as a journalist trying to do a story on Miles only to get caught up in his troubles.

Miles Ahead is not very straight forward, but it is a great music biopic, that goes more over the art he creates rather than the man's life. It captures Davis at a time when he seem burned out and was looking for another creative spark to bring him back.

As great as the movie was from a visual standpoint, looking like it came straight from the seventies in both cinematography and art direction, the music was really good (as it should be). Don Cheadle did a lot of the composing himself which was really cool.

It was not was I was looking for but turned out to be everything I wanted. Thank you Don Cheadle for being, Miles Ahead.

Miles Davis as... blaxploitation bad-ass (some of the time(?) Sure, why not?

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 26 April 2016]

I don't know how much of this movie is true. If you asked me in my heart of hearts, I don't really care to know - it'd be nice if it's ALL true, even the parts that are wildly outrageous and show Miles Davis as at times a super bad-ass like out of a Jack Hill movie or a character rising in the ranks of a Rudy Ray Moore vehicle (only a good actor, a really good one, and a good writer/director which helps) - and that's fine. It IS just a movie after all, and Cheadle understands as an actor for many years, and here a director, what an image can project: for most of this storyline Davis is in his 70's crazy-hair mode, all by himself in his massive apartment in New York city, sometimes on coke, sometimes not, and he'll dress sharp while distancing himself (though still projecting his "cool") in giant glasses. It's a similar thing as Elvis in the Elvis/Nixon movie from this month, only here it's not commented on so strongly.

I think the question people have going in is that 'this looks a little rougher and rawer, is it a typical biopic?' Yes and no. Yes in that the flashbacks, which show Miles' other obsession with his wife Frances (a very good Emayatzy Corinealdi, she holds her own in a mostly male cast sometimes with just a look like 'seriously?' like when Miles asks her to stop dancing and only be her husband). It's one of those love stories that you know will go south by nature of who Davis was, and in that sense it's not much different than many of the other biopics that involve a love story where things go south - it was other women (many others), and Cheadle maybe knows this and makes it obvious from the start: she sees Francis from across a street in a car while already with another woman and gets a 20 just to write his number down. Peachy!

To say Miles Davis was a groundbreaking artist and influential to upteenth thousands (tens of thousands, or more) musicians and other artists all over is something that is distant in the background but, wisely, is never stated. It doesn't have to be, and though Miles Davis liked the spotlight and attention he didn't need it or ever craved it. He played and played with other people (Gil Evans, Coltrane - how he found him and his telling of it is a brief aside in this movie that is perfect - Bill Evans, and so on), and people came to see him, but he didn't need to play for anyone, ever. But when it came to that one reel of tape, in the scope of this story, it becomes more about flexing his bad-assery to anyone around, including Ewan McGregor's journalist (think of End of the Tour if it was directed in the 70's by Jack Hill or something, and you get the idea).

So some of this is conventional, but it's mostly the flashbacks and, at the least, they are directed and acted with a go-for-broke fire that makes it watchable. The main storyline, however, is just awesome; Davis took s*** from no one, and yet there's a humbling/vulnerable factor to how Cheadle plays him and how Davis was; he had a hip problem and had to take a lot of pills, which messed with his mind (we see some of this unfold in the flashbacks, but also in the 'present' time it's set in the 70's), and so he walks with a limp. He never plays it too hard though, and Cheadle owning it in Davis makes it all the more compelling: like, 'yeah, I'm Miles Davis, f*** you, give me my (insert more streams of mother-effer) tape!

It may turn off those who only see it as a passion project, but I saw a lot more in it - crazy intensity, and a rhythm to the cutting and camera-work that made it more like a thriller than a typical rise-and-fall saga. Though I wish it were even better - it has the potential to be among the great jazz movies, not unlike the recent Born to be Blue, which also featured Davis - it's an entertaining ride through 70's-drenched paranoid, don't-give-a-f*** bravura filmmaking and style.

"An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis"?

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 7/10 · 10 May 2016]

Good, but really, really weird film, is less "an exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis", more heist flick, told in flashback, about a reporter, Dave Brill, trying to interview Miles Davis, and subsequently trying to steal a one-of-a- kind, unreleased demo recording. When an A&R man from the record label beats Brill to it, Brill sees his chance with Davis now being to help him get the tape back.

Many of the shots are annoyingly filmed in extreme close-up, and I'm not sure if I enjoyed this film in spite of all of its weirdness, or because of it, but either way, it's a fun ride, just leave your mind at the door, and let its exceptional soundtrack, good acting, and almost surreal, hallucinatory vibe carry you along for the ride.

Solid enough

[Red_Identity · 6 July 2016]

I can't really say that the film grabbed me all that much. It does remain entertaining throughout, for the most part, and it does have a nice, brisk pace. In terms of the subject at its core though, I feel like it could have gone a lot further than it actually did. It feels like a lot remains to be seen, although perhaps it was for the best that the film didn't feel the need to extend the storyline and try to fit in everything from the man's life into one film because those films rarely work. Don Cheadle does a nice job behind the camera but most importantly, he delivers the best thing about it in his portrayal of Miles. Not amazing, but very good indeed.

Interesting enough, but, ultimately a bit disappointing.

[TheCentralScrutinizer · 6/10 · 3 August 2016]

So, Miles Ahead.....

Just finished watching it.

Now, as a professional musician, the influence and inspiration I have gained from Miles Davis cannot even be measured, so, to say I was eagerly awaiting this film is, to say the least, an understatement.

That being said, I may be the victim of my own misplaced expectations, but, while I did avoid any detailed synopsis of the film before I watched it, I saw it referred to in articles and promotional materials as a "biopic" repeatedly in the preceding months.

If that was a biopic about Miles Davis then Yellow Submarine was a biopic about The Beatles.

I think I'll just leave it at that. It's an entertaining enough way to spend a couple hours, and Don Cheadle is, as always, excellent, but, in my opinion, any insight into the life and works of Miles Davis in this film is strictly coincidental, and, if it was meant as allegory, I missed it.

Anyway, if you have any interest in such subject matter, check it out and judge for yourself. It's at least worth a look.

A Social Movie

[LeonardHaid · 8/10 · 20 March 2016]

As the reviews of Miles Ahead amass on the Internet I'll be interested to read all the different ways people will have to describe Don Cheadle's electrifying performance as jazz great Miles Davis. Or should I say "social music" great, a term Mr. Davis preferred to jazz, according to this biopic. I'd never heard this term before, looked it up online after the movie ended, but couldn't find any definition that fit what I thought Mr. Davis might have meant. What it meant to me though, after being treated to a sumptuous sampling of Miles Davis music in the film, is that there's no better musical expression of the human soul than jazz if done right. In Miles Ahead, Don Cheadle seems to be able to relate to that. As for his portrayal of Miles Davis in general, he plays a man who lays everything on the line in everything he does. Total honesty. Total this feels right so I'm going to do it. No-bs, no-putting-up-with-bs attitude. From violence and crudeness to stunning beauty - this is humanity unadulterated. The movie's high points, to me, are the stunning beauty scenes - when Mr. Davis plays the horn. That is the culmination of everything.

Still, it's ironic that while Don Cheadle seems to get not only jazz, but the concept of creativity - starting off the movie with the Miles Davis quote "When you're creating your own sh**, man, even the sky ain't the limit" - Miles Ahead is limited by being formulaic. In other words, the movie itself is not jazz, though at times it tries to be and wants you to think it is. For example, there is too much clichéd man/woman relationship drama in the film, and while I get that Miles' love of women is necessary to portray for the all-important character development, Miles Ahead gets a little schmaltzy at times, if only because I'd seen the same kind of drama scenes more or less so many times before in so many Hollywood movies.

Overall, Miles Ahead is a passionate tribute, beautifully done, and the love that Don Cheadle had for the project and for Miles Davis really shines through.

Average watch

[kyliem11 · 6/10 · 24 April 2016]

I didn't really learn a lot about Miles Davis from this movie, apart from the fact that he was a drug taking musician who was not particularly nice to the people close to him. Don Cheadle plays the part very well, the same cannot be said for Ewan McGregor, who is miscast as the Rolling Stone reported who wants Davis's comeback story. Emayatzy Corinealdi plays Frances, Miles's suffering wife, a talented dancer who is forced to quit her profession by Davis so she can 'be with him'. I was quite enjoying the movie but it all turned a bit slapstick and stupid when the tape went missing. It's not really a biopic and you are not even treated to that much music, so all in all it's just an average watch for me.

Miles Below

[jencliff · 3/10 · 28 April 2016]

Don Cheadle plays a good part as the young and older Miles Davis, Ewan McGregor as usual in my opinion is poor and an expert at dumbing down all of his roles. How does he get the work I ask myself ? I, My friend and I are keen Miles Davis fans, his wife is not, to quote her " I know less about Miles Davis than before I saw the film " The storyline is poor, only showing a a brief chapter of Mile's life when he retired for five years, and the record company " stole " his new tape. An episode of the Keystone cops ensues with car chases and gun toting ....... Very uncool, very unMiles. I don't believe a word of it. OK,be different,but to only mention one of his 3 wives ( and imply he only had one wife) is downright ridiculous, and not one word about any of his many children and grandchildren I mean ...... Really ! I was really looking forward to this film but we all left the movie " Kinda Blue "

Definitely worth seeing, whether you're a big Miles Davis fan or not.

[Hellmant · 8/10 · 17 March 2017]

'MILES AHEAD': Four Stars (Out of Five)

A mostly fictional biopic on jazz music legend Miles Davis, starring Don Cheadle as Davis. Cheadle also directed the movie (marking his feature film directorial debut), and he co-wrote the script as well; with Steven Baigelman (who also wrote the recent James Brown music biopic 'GET ON UP'), Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson (Rivele and Wilkinson have also co-written other hit biopics, like 'NIXON', 'ALI' and 'PAWN SACRIFICE'). The film also costars Ewan McGregor, Emayatzy Corinealdi and Michael Stuhlbarg. It received a limited indie theatrical release in theaters, and it's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics (although not that positive). I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

The story takes place at multiple different times in Miles Davis's (Cheadle) life, and it jumps around between them. The bulk of the film takes place in the 70s, and it revolves around a fictional adventure that Davis goes on, in an attempt to get a stolen tape recording back (of his recent music) from a greedy record producer (Stuhlbarg). He has help from an ambitious music reporter (McGregor). The movie also heavily focuses on Davis's troubled relationship with his wife (Corinealdi).

I'm not a big fan of biopics (because of how aimless, long and boring they often are) but I enjoyed this movie, because it's not a traditional biopic. A lot of the film is more like a fictional caper flick, with Miles Davis in it, and I think that makes for a much more entertaining movie (as a result). Cheadle is also fantastic in the lead, and he shows a lot of talent as a director here. I think the film is definitely worth seeing, whether you're a big Miles Davis fan or not.

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Given the talent and the subject matter, should have been better

[izzynfrank · 6/10 · 19 December 2016]

I am big of both Miles Davis and Don Cheadle. Biopics are difficult to get right and I was encouraged when I learned that Cheadle would direct and only focus on a part of Davis' life - and an interesting one at that. The film overall is uneven and disappointing but does succeed in capturing the allure and eccentricities of Davis.

I had a hard time believing the plot to steal and recover the tapes. I don't recall reading this in his autobiography but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It seemed silly and not befitting a jazz great to have his life boil down to a cops and robbers chase in the alley.

Cheadle, the actor, captured the essence of Davis but struggled to anchor the film's narrative. The flashback scenes were gratuitous and inaccurate. Davis was beaten by a cop on 52nd Street not outside the Village Vanguard. The poster outside the Vanguard says he is playing with Red Garland but they Bill Evans playing piano inside. Stuff like that kills the movie for a real lover of Davis' work. I do think the filmmaker really captured the relationship with Frances correctly. That was haunting and beautiful and my guess is that it should have been the focus of the whole movie.

Jumbled and Alienating

[Danusha_Goska · 1/10 · 23 April 2016]

"Miles Ahead" is chaotically put together, difficult to follow, and difficult to care about. Miles Davis (Don Cheadle), the main character, is depicted as a repugnant human being. The film plays shopworn musician biopic tricks in nasty ways to manipulate the audience. In interviews, Don Cheadle has said that he needed to get a big white star to appear in the film, and thus he built the film around the MacGuffin of Davis being interviewed by Ewan McGregor, allegedly the big white star. My guess is that Cheadle's funding didn't come through not because he is a black actor playing a black musician. My guess is that the funding was hard to find because the script was not a commercial script, no matter the color of the main character.

The film opens with a confusing mishmash of images. Miles Davis is being interviewed. We don't see the interviewer. There is film in the background of the Jack Johnson fight. This confused me. I know the fight took place over a hundred years ago and I did not know that anyone filmed it – meaning I was losing focus on the movie I was watching, and drawn into thinking about the movie in the movie. Not a good thing.

The scene is shot in extreme close-up. We see Don Cheadle's mouth and fingers as he smokes a cigarette; we also see an ashtray. This extreme close-up gives the film a claustrophobic feeling. As the film went on I began to wonder if the tight close-ups were used because there wasn't enough of a budget to create a set that reflected the time periods of the film: the 1970s and the 1950s.

The unseen interviewer asks Davis about jazz. Davis interrupts the interviewer and commands, "Don't call my music jazz." He insists that calling his music "jazz" stereotypes it. That's one of the dumbest and most petulant things I've ever heard a character say. Of course Miles Davis was a jazz musician. Ordering someone not to call jazz jazz is the demand of a petty dictator who wants control of language. The film was just beginning and I already hated the main character. And I was really sick of all that focus on his cigarette and his ashtray.

Ewan McGregor, the big white star meant to offer his magical powers to get purportedly rich whites to underwrite the movie and buy tickets to see it, shows up as Dave, a Rolling Stone reporter. He knocks on Miles Davis' door. Davis opens the door and immediately sucker punches Dave, a visitor he has never met. At this point, the film has offered me no reason to like Miles Davis, and lots of reasons to dislike him. There's more. He has a receding hairline and he wears his hair long – an older man's unsuccessful attempt to look young. And he dresses like a blind pimp. He's wearing a hip-length, turquoise and black jacket made of fabric best reserved for upholstery in houses of ill repute.

Davis has already proved he's cool by sucker punching a white man. He also proves he's cool in other cheap, manipulative ways. The film consists of a jumble of scenes shot in the 1970s and flashbacks to the 1950s. In the 1950s scene, Davis is in a car with a young white woman. The young white woman behaves foolishly. The young black woman in the front scene rolls her eyes at this white girl's buffoonery. So, Davis is cool because he can get a white girl.

The car pulls up to a house. A very beautiful young black woman is on the street. This is Frances Taylor, whom Davis will marry. He asks his white date for a twenty dollar bill. She gives him one. He writes his phone number on the bill and hands it to the black girl. Again, Davis is cool because he can mistreat white people, in this case a woman.

In more jumbled together, plot-less scenes, we see Frances dancing. She is exquisitely beautiful and the camera adores her. We see Frances and Davis making love. We don't see Miles Davis beating his wife. He did. He also made her quit her dancing career. What a guy.

More jumbled, plot-less scenes whose only point is to show what a boss Miles Davis really was, because he could mistreat white people. Miles Davis marches in to the offices of Columbia records. There is a man there who is obviously meant to be Jewish. He is smarmy and oily and condescending and power trips Davis. Davis pulls out a gun and shoots at him. He takes the man's money and uses that money, in a subsequent scene, to purchase cocaine, from yet another worshipful, star-struck white man he mistreats, while a white girl, partially undressed, sits on a bed. Davis, of course, must tell her to move over so he can sit next to her.

You get the idea.

What the movie does not show you is that Miles Davis grew up comfortable and privileged. Davis' father was a dentist who owned a couple of homes and a ranch. His mother was a musician. Davis received music lessons as a teenager, on daddy's dime. Davis was no gangster. He was a brat and a creep and an abuser of himself and others. I learned nothing about his appeal or his talent from this movie.

Tour de force for Don Cheadle

[Andrew-Sherman · 24 April 2016]

See this movie if you love Miles Davis. See this movie is you're a Don Cheadle fan. See this movie if you want to find out how JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE should have been done. See this movie if you are a jazz fan. See this movie if you a movie fan. Right now, the Oscars are a two man race between Don Cheadle and Michael Keaton (for THE FOUNDER) Don Cheadle wisely used a screenplay and editing structure that was both like jazz and Mile Davis' life. I watched the movie Friday night. NOBODY left when the credits rolled. You'll have to see the film to find out why. Stayed in my seat talking with people about the film. Stayed so long the audience for the next showing came in... and we were still talking. That never happened before. Great movie. I predict Oscar noms for Cheadle,(acting, writing, directing) Emayatzy Corinealdi, editing, film score and possibly best picture nom. Cheadle has got some career decisions to make: To act or to direct.