Crips and Bloods: Made in America takes us into the most dangerous places in Los Angeles, the south central neighborhoods that gave birth to these violent gangs.
Crips and Bloods: Made in America Trailer
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Tag Archives: Forest Whitaker
Vantage Point (DVD)
As the title of this film clearly points out, Vantage Point attempts to use various “Points of View” to unravel the mystery of an assassination attempt on the President of the United States at a summit in Spain. Although it starts out quite impressively, the film relies so heavily on its fast pace and heart stopping action that its storyline loses much of its credibility as it progresses.
This however was not necessarily a bad thing for action/suspense type film. I will easily admit that I enjoyed this film at face value. It moved at such a terrific pace that although the film recycled itself five or six times, It didn’t feel monotonous at all. The explosions, car chases, and ever changing points of view kept me on my toes throughout, and I definitely found myself trying to piece together the puzzle as the film moved forward.
The cast of Vantage Point were all uniformly good with the services of Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, and Sigourney Weaver. Although I can’t recall any outstanding performances from Quaid, he definitely played the role of secret service agent Thomas Barnes very well. He’s one of those actors who seem to lack the qualities of a megastar, yet always manages to put on a solid performance.
Forest Whitaker on the other hand is always worth watching and his role as tourist Howard Lewis is no different. I wasn’t too sure if his role was absolutely necessary, but with movie presence he commands, he easily made his character stand out of the crowd. As for Weaver, I felt that she could have done much more. She was definitely under utilized and it truly seems to be at the twilight of her career.
Overall, Vantage Point was entertaining and will definitely keep busy for the ninety of so minutes it runs. Just don’t expect anything spectacular. Besides its pace, stunts, and explosions, the film is otherwise pretty hollow. Vantage Point becomes much more of a mindless action thriller rather than a narrative by the ending credits. If your looking for a short fast paced action thriller, this might work for you. If you need a excellent story and believable script, you’re probably better off with “The Secret Life of Bees”.
Street Kings (DVD)
So who is the king of all cop corruption action flicks? Writer and director David Ayer of course. Ayer who is probably best known for his Oscar Award winning film Training Day put together yet another solid action drama in the movie Street Kings.
As a fan of most of Ayer’s films, I found it quite difficult to say anything really bad about this movie. It wasn’t Oscar award winning by any means, but I found some of reviews across the net to be pretty harsh and critical.
The plot although linear and predictable was still quite entertaining and suspenseful, both Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker put on creditable performances, and the appearance of House M.D. (Hugh Laurie) and his sarcastic monotone self, actually caught me off guard.
The action was everything that it was expected to be. It had all the gunfights, chases, and trash talk one could ask for. Although it was hardly as brutal as some of Ayer’s other films, it still had enough umph to satisfy most action movie buffs.
Would I recommend this film to others? Most definitely. It makes for a good rental and is perhaps Keanu’s best performance since the Matrix Trilogy. Come into this film without expectations and I’m sure you’ll find some enjoyment in this film.
Synopsis: In the wake of the L.A. riots, an LAPD vice detective who always went above and beyond the call of duty to keep the streets safe receives a startling wake-up call that leaves him convinced he can no longer employ the tactics that made him so effective in his work. LAPD veteran Tom Ludlow has borne personal witness to the worst that the streets have to offer, and when his partner, Detective Terrance Washington, is killed the violence strikes a bit too close to home. Now Ludlow is on a mission to bring his partner’s killer to justice, though Captain Walker is concerned that the hotheaded detective is taking the case too personally. Now, as Captain Walker attempts to convince Ludlow to work within the confines of the law, Internal Affairs Captain Biggs begins following the vengeful lawman’s every move. In order to accomplish his mission, Ludlow recruits fresh-faced Robbery Homicide Detective Diskant to trace Washington’s killers through the winding streets of Los Angeles. Later, when Ludlow and Diskant come face to face with the remorseless cop killers, they must chose between upholding the law and seeking bitter vengeance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide