Bursting with the raw power of a Tina Turner stadium show, Bassett gives
a performance that is both uncannily accurate in capturing Turner, and
an intelligent critique of Turner as a black female role model. We reel
with her as she takes Ike Turner’s (Fishburne) punches, but Bassett
never hides the steel. Fishburne is almost errs on the sensitive side of
mean and nasty, but the chemistry between the two leads convinces,
moving from passion to devastation against a brilliantly-used
soundtrack that never lets us forget the reason for the film’s
existence.
