Don Cheadle as Mr. Davis in “Miles Ahead”

It’s safe to say that biopics of famous musicians is not everyone’s favorite film genre—esp. when it comes to iconic rock/pop superstars. High expectations can be easily shot down by a fan’s extensive knowledge of their favorites vs. the often formulaic storyline of difficult childhood-rise to fame-wilderness years-redemption.

With the subject or his/her estate often acting as executive producer, one can expect that the rough edges will get sanded down (the uninspired “Marley: One Love”) or omitted entirely: the new “Michael” blockbuster conveniently ends Mr. Jackson’s story in 1987, just before the first child-abuse allegations.

Other times these movies can fly off in the direction of Icarus-style myth (Oliver Stone’s fever dream “The Doors”) or just land with a quiet thud. This could be said of the earnest “Bruce Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” where the recording of the Boss’ uncommercial “Nebraska” album, staves off his impending super-duper stardom while he comes to terms with his troubled father and a composite girlfriend. The same goes for Timothee Chalamet as Dylan in the underwhelming “A Complete Unknown.” Uncle Bob’s life is so extremely documented that it would be extraordinary to come up with a fresh angle: and that film didn’t.

Is there any way out of these common pitfalls? Well, you could just give up and commit to the more entertaining parody biopic. The 2007 howler “Walk Hard” (starring John C. Reilly as “Dewey Cox”) features the greatest of all difficult-childhood scenarios when young Dewey gets ostracized after accidentally cutting his brother in half with a machete.

But for films based on an actual person may I submit “Miles Ahead,” the 2016 joint directed by Don Cheadle and starring himself as the tempestuous jazz legend. Cheadle has the Miles Davis look and raspy voice down pat. The movie heads down the “wilderness years” path as the trumpeting icon contemplates and end to his 5-year layoff that began in 1975.

Well, “contemplate” may be too soft a word. Davis was famously contentious, imperious and volatile. Cheadle, instead of filing down the rough edges, doubles down on this reputation. And in a big way: there is so much cocaine and gunplay in “Miles Ahead” that it makes the notorious East Coast-West Coast rap wars look like a kindergarten recess.

Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis shows Ewan McGregor’s reporter the most effective way to negotiate with the bigwigs at Columbia Records.

The apocryphal storyline concerns the theft of some coveted home-studio tapes that becomes a MacGuffin among various parties (including Columbia Records that wants Davis to deliver some product). The film co-stars the reliable Ewan McGregor as a dodgy (and fictional) Rolling Stone reporter named Dave Brill. He worms his way into Miles’ New York City lair in hopes of getting the comeback scoop—but not before getting punched in the face for his trouble. But eventually, Davis lets the “Irish prick” become his driver and drug buddy while opening up a bit about his life and music.

As hinted at in the trailer, Cheadle employs an impressionistic style that blends the late Seventies plot with glimpses of his popular late Fifties peak, with dynamic concert reconstructions and scenes of his troubled first marriage to dancer Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi)

Then it’s straight back to the thug life. There’s an improbable (but really fun) car chase thru nighttime Manhattan with Dave as his reluctant accomplice, although before long the reporter is brandishing a firearm as well.

Sure, this is all a bit off-the-hook but delivered with an irreverence I found easy to like. Plus, Miles’ famously flinty personality makes for some great one-liners: when a fawning white fanboy insists on over-complimenting his idol, Davis can only reply, “Back up off of me, Hitler!”

Of course, the soundtrack here is a big selling point as well. Casual fans will enjoy the snatches from such well-known classics like “Kind of Blue” and “Sketches of Spain” while deep-diving connoisseurs will love the fact that the first sounds heard are from the cosmic cacophony of “Agharta,” the last LP he put out before his hiatus.

To top it off, “Miles Ahead” has a beautifully well-crafted ending. When Cheadle’s Davis wanders onto stage for his expected 1980 comeback and raises his trumpet, we are delighted to find that his band is made up of a couple of his old bandmates (saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock) as well as some torch-carrying younger players, such as bassist Esperranza Spalding and guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. It is a sweet way to go out and a reminder that maybe if you mix the sentimental vibe with a little irreverence along the way, you may be on your way to a better biopic.