Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

The Force

  • 20172017
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
714
YOUR RATING
The Force (2017)
A look inside the long-troubled Oakland Police Department as it struggles to confront federal demands for reform, a popular uprising following events in Ferguson, MO, and an explosive scandal.
Play trailer2:36
1 Video
2 Photos
Documentary
THE FORCE goes inside an embattled urban police department struggling to rebuild trust in one of America's most violent yet promising cities.THE FORCE goes inside an embattled urban police department struggling to rebuild trust in one of America's most violent yet promising cities.THE FORCE goes inside an embattled urban police department struggling to rebuild trust in one of America's most violent yet promising cities.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
714
YOUR RATING
    • Peter Nicks
    • Linda Davis(story)
    • Lawrence Lerew(story)
    • Peter Nicks(story)
  • Stars
    • Cat Brooks
    • Jonathan Cairo
    • Ben McBride
    • Peter Nicks
    • Linda Davis(story)
    • Lawrence Lerew(story)
    • Peter Nicks(story)
  • Stars
    • Cat Brooks
    • Jonathan Cairo
    • Ben McBride
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:36
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos

    The Force (2017)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cat Brooks
    • Self
    • (as Sheilagh Polk)
    Jonathan Cairo
    • Self
    Ben McBride
    • Self
    Johnna Watson
    • Self
    Sean Whent
    • Self
    Juan Carlos Zapata
    • Bridesgroom
      • Peter Nicks
      • Linda Davis(story)
      • Lawrence Lerew(story)
      • Peter Nicks(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Shadowland
    6.5
    Shadowland
    Jailbirds New Orleans
    6.6
    Jailbirds New Orleans
    Spector
    7.2
    Spector
    Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
    7.1
    Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
    Enemies of the State
    6.0
    Enemies of the State
    Audrie & Daisy
    7.2
    Audrie & Daisy
    16 Shots
    7.2
    16 Shots
    Disgraced
    7.3
    Disgraced
    Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats.
    6.7
    Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats.
    Flint Town
    7.8
    Flint Town
    Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields
    6.6
    Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields
    Homeroom
    5.7
    Homeroom

    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews5

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    An excellent look at revamping a troubled urban police department.
    "The Force" is Peter Nicks second film in a trilogy of films in which he investigates the interaction between community and institution; the institutions that effect our daily lives, e.g., health, security, and education. In his first film, "The Waiting Room", Nicks portrayed a day and night in an Oakland hospital emergency room. In "The Force", Nicks and his team go inside the Oakland Police Department, investigating just how it is working to comply with a decade+ old federal oversight ruling, which was instigated after years of abuse and corruption.

    The Oakland Police Department has made national headlines in recent years, yet it is not so dissimilar to other urban police departments, which is why "The Force" works as a documentary about the connection between community and it's protectors across the whole of the country. At the opening, when the new recruits gather to say a Christian prayer, I was skeptical. Would this be a love story to the police force? But once I settled in, this documentary proved it was attempting to show the facts, for good or ill. While I do believe that Nicks allowed the OPD to display their good side, he did not let them hide their dirt either. When emotions run high, it is difficult to stand back and show both sides fairly, but I think Nicks did just that.

    In the Q&A following the film, Nicks explained that "The Force" had wrapped filming and even editing when the news broke that the OPD was involved in an underage prostitution scandal involving multiple officers and a massive cover-up. With little money and time, the entire crew decided to go back and film some more. They had to re-cut the film to include this latest information, which probably impacted the final film a bit for the worse, but added a twist that was absolutely necessary to the narrative. 13 years later, and the OPD is still fighting it's demons.

    Like "The Waiting Room", I cannot recommend this film enough. It is a brilliant documentary. Because of the last minute changes, I think it got a bit muddled, but even so, it still managed to produce a stunning look at the relationship between police and community in an urban environment, in a time when we are struggling to find justice and peace. Not to mention, that today with Jeff Sessions vowing to remove these federal oversights, how relevant this movie becomes as we see first hand the importance such oversights have in protecting our most vulnerable people.
    helpful•18
    5
    • jen-lynx
    • Apr 17, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 29, 2018 (United Kingdom)
      • United States
      • English
      • Oakland, California, USA
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 32 minutes
      • Color

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Force (2017)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Force (2017) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.