Sins of Survivors

Actor Underwood and filmmaker McClean debut with a satisfying and gritty crime saga set in 1930s Detroit. Black brothers Jasper and Ben Carter first moved to Motor City in 1908 after Ben angered their white neighbors by using a "whites only" water fountain in Alabama. Now in their 40s, the Carters have become power players in Black Bottom, "an all-Black community capable of running every aspect of its own society." During Prohibition, the brothers made a living as bootleggers, giving them direct access to Detroit's most influential power brokers. They face a crisis when Ben's son, Charles, is charged with murdering white politician Joseph Frolovski. Sure of Charles's innocence, but unsure Detroit police will extend him any grace, Jasper and Ben tap into their network of political hotshots to try and clear Charles's name. Underwood and McClean seamlessly weave rattling depictions of Northern racism and well-rounded portraits of Black Bottom's citizens into a down and dirty noir story. It's a promising first effort. (May)