Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, The Best of Enemies scores 7.5/10 across five categories — strongest on Acting (Well Above Average), weakest on Novelty (Below Average).
Ranked among Quartile’s Top Acting.
Centers on the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader who reluctantly co-chaired a community summit, battling over the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina during the racially-charged summer of 1971. The incredible events that unfolded would change Durham and the lives of Atwater and Ellis forever.
The Best of Enemies is a competently told true story about an unlikely cross-racial friendship in 1971 Durham, NC. Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell both deliver strong, committed performances that elevate the material considerably — Rockwell's transformation arc is particularly nuanced. However, the film follows a fairly predictable redemption narrative structure well-worn in this genre (cf. The Help, Green Book), which keeps Novelty and Plot from standing out. Cinematography is functional but unremarkable, leaning on period-piece aesthetics without distinctive visual ambition. The ending is emotionally satisfying given the real-life resolution but feels somewhat rushed and telegraphed. A solid, well-acted drama that plays it safe structurally.