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The Inspection
Directed by
Elegance Bratton
R
2022
1h 34m
Drama
6.7
88%
91%
Rent for $3.99
A young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside.
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Cast of The Inspection
Jeremy Pope
Ellis French
Gabrielle Union
Inez French
Bokeem Woodbine
Laws
Raúl Castillo
Rosales
McCaul Lombardi
Harvey
Nicholas Logan
Brooks
Eman Esfandi
Ismail
Aaron Dominguez
Castro
Aubrey Joseph
Boles
Andrew Kai
Label
Tyler Merritt
Shamus
Steve Mokate
Colonel Casey
Brad Napp
Graduation Officer
Daniel Williamson
PMI
Wynn Reichert
Chaplain
Reginald Murray
Veteran
Chase Van Velkinburgh
Opioid Addict
Eddie Plaza
Bam Bam
Krystal LaBeija
Mya
Alex Mugler
Kassandra
Becky Boxer
Dettman's Wife (uncredited)
Jered Meeks
Marine (uncredited)
Stephen Thaxton
Drill Instructor (uncredited)
Niquitta S. Wolfe
Graduation Attendee (uncredited)
Elegance Bratton
Director / Writer
Chester Algernal Gordon
Producer
Effie Brown
Producer
The Inspection Ratings & Reviews
Kevin Ward
July 4, 2025
I tough but powerful watch. Ellis French (Jeremy Pope) a young gay black man, is not accepted by his mother (Gabrielle Union). With no place to call home and scarce prospects for any kind of future, he joins the marines and endures abuse and torment throughout the literal and metaphorical crucible of his basic training. Pope is really excellent giving a ranged performance that exudes French’s quiet strength and also his deep sadness. Bokeem Woodbine is perfectly cast as French’s drill sergeant. Though French endures hell, he unexpectedly finds support, friendship, and the sense of belonging—things his mother wouldn’t offer him. Being a emi-autobiographical account of director Elegance Bratton, gives the story a incredible poignancy knowing that the situations depicted are first hand accounts. It also means the story doesn’t wrap up with a nice Hollywood bow. There’s not a massive catharsis awaiting at the end of French’s crucible. Sadly, the world isn’t magically accepting of gay black men once they’ve made it through basic training. Impressive debut from Bratton and worth checking out.
Detroit News
Adam Graham
"The Inspection" does feel unfocused at times, or like it's playing the Greatest Hits of other movies that came before it. It's not until Union's character returns that the film comes full circle...
AARP Movies for Grownups
Thelma Adams
Observant, insistent and unsparing, wrapped around characters that feel real and rounded.
Associated Press
Lindsey Bahr
It is the type of film - brave, raw and poetic - that will rightly put Bratton on the map as someone to watch, not to mention the standout performances of Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union.
The Daily Beast
Nick Schager
A stunning look at a gay man's terrifying, triumphant time at Marines boot camp.
Boston Globe
Odie Henderson
Bratton's unique perspective is so much more interesting when you hear him talk about "The Inspection" that you often wonder where it is when you're watching it.
Austin Chronicle
Richard Whittaker
A powerful, poignant, and complicated look at what people will do for acceptance.
Chicago Reader
Adam Mullins-Khatib
Elegance Bratton's autobiographical story The Inspection is one of learning to accept love on one's own terms.
Chicago Sun-Times
Richard Roeper
Jeremy Pope gives a searing performance as the young man lacking direction, with Gabrielle Union a powerful force as the mother who initially disowns him.
San Jose Mercury News
Randy Myers
Bratton brings a surreal, rubbed-raw realness to "The Inspection" - reflected in the performances, the film's gritty look and unconventional style.
Washington Post
Mark Jenkins
Where most films that recount military training ultimately lead to the battlefield, this one is preparation for a different sort of combat.
San Francisco Chronicle
G. Allen Johnson
A well-meaning, sometimes moving, but at times exasperating movie.
New York Magazine/Vulture
Alison Willmore
Bratton, who has an eye for compelling framing and unexpected beauty, has made something more complicated than a treatise against the power structures enshrined in the military, though he's very aware of them.
Observer
Oliver Jones
To be successful in confronting, understanding and dismantling the institutional homophobia that continues to be a cancer in American life requires depth, perspective, and a sense of inquiry-three qualities in short supply in The Inspection.
AV Club
Phil Pirrello
The Inspection isn't a perfect movie, but there are times when it feels like it's tantalizingly close.
Rolling Stone
K. Austin Collins
Bratton's movie largely looks and feels like a capable, confident bit of arthouse fare. But it opens up as Ellis's mind goes places that it perhaps shouldn't.
Entertainment Weekly
Joshua Rothkopf
You see everything coming from miles away... Bratton's command of the material compensates, and his re-creation of Parris Island without the participation of the military is impressive.
RogerEbert.com
Matt Zoller Seitz
A beautiful, heartfelt muddle.
Los Angeles Times
Justin Chang
For all the intense physicality of his performance, Pope does much of his acting with his eyes, which can signal fear and anxiety one moment and radiate a defiant seductiveness the next.
New York Times
A.O. Scott
The metamorphosis that Bratton explores, and that Pope embodies - the way Ellis both changes and remains ever faithful to himself - is subtle, bittersweet and beautiful.
Watch The Inspection Videos
The Inspection
The Inspection
Trailer
The Inspection (Trailer 2)
The Inspection (Trailer 2)
Trailer
The Inspection: Meet The Filmmakers (Featurette)
The Inspection: Meet The Filmmakers (Featurette)
Trailer
Behind The Scenes
Behind The Scenes
Behind the Scenes
Arrival
Arrival
Scene
Birth Certificate
Birth Certificate
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