Miles Ahead

The task facing Don Cheadle in Miles Ahead boils down to this — conveying the life story of the late jazz icon Miles Davis without being confined by a traditional biopic structure.

The prolific actor mostly succeeds with his ambitious directorial debut that winds up a little rough around the edges, sort of like Davis himself.

It begins during the late 1970s, when Davis is in a state of decline both in terms of his health and his career. He’s a recluse in his basement who’s still fiercely independent but become disenfranchised by music-industry greed, and worn down by his own problems with drug abuse, infidelity, and physical disability.

Some of his past accomplishments — on stage, in studio, and otherwise — are relayed through flashbacks of varying forms, including his volatile marriage to dancer Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Caroinealdi).

Then there’s a fictional subplot involving a journalist (Ewan McGregor) who pays a visit, then becomes involved in Davis’ effort to recover a missing session tape that he claims has been stolen by a record producer (Michael Stuhlbarg) eager for new material.

The film pays heartfelt tribute to his subject without venturing into blatant hagiography. Rather, Cheadle isn’t afraid to showcase the erratic behavior and ill-tempered tendencies of Davis that made him more respected than liked by those who knew him.

The screenplay by Cheadle and Steven Baigelman is more concerned with indirect truths than facts (again, taking a cue from Davis). It takes plenty of liberties with the dramatic details, throwing in reckless caper-comedy shootouts and car chases that feel like they’re from a different movie.

While playfully re-creating the period, the film also keeps a narrow focus, and doesn’t spend much time detailing the influence of Davis on the jazz landscape during his heyday. It does mention his mentorship roles with John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock, and gives him a similar relationship with an imagined prodigy (Lakeith Lee Stanfield) in the film.

However, Cheadle fully inhabits the role, capturing Davis in more than just his gravelly speech and physical eccentricities. He conveys the defiant spirit of a tortured soul behind the quirky mannerisms.

Without taking many stylistic risks, Cheadle demonstrates confidence behind the camera with an impressionistic approach to the material. It seems appropriate that Miles Ahead is a little messy away from the stage, but when the music is playing, it hits the right notes.

Rated R, 100 minutes.