This systemic oppression and police impunity narrative drives the entire plot, character arcs, and emotional core, explicitly drawing parallels to contemporary racial tensions as intended by director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal. The ensemble cast features Black actors like John Boyega (as security guard Melvin Dismukes), Algee Smith (as singer Larry Reed), Anthony Mackie, and Jason Mitchell in prominent victim and witness roles alongside white antagonists, reflecting the historical setting without source-material swaps. Some critics and audiences noted the white creative team's focus on Black trauma as feeling like liberal messaging or bait, contributing to its box-office underperformance and polarized reception labeling it preachy or one-sided on race.