Ghetto Dawg 2

Hands-down the best ghetto movie I've seen in a long time. I didn't have many expectations, given the first movie, but it blew me away. Rent it, pirate it, do what you've got to do to get this movie in your player. The acting is what really carries it away -- Paris Campbell is fantastic, in particular -- I was impressed with just about everyone on screen. The plot is plausible and keeps up a good pace. The dogfights are the only thing that lacked realism for me, as you can pretty much tell that the blood is fake. That being said, the gun play and violence are shockingly realistic. The whole thing is rounded out by a streak of corny humor that somehow works... the movie moves back and forth between the grippingly dramatic and the ridiculously silly, and it doesn't skip a beat. Amazing, really. I can't recommend this one highly enough.

Wanted to sit thru 'Ghetto Dawg', but its lack of availability left me with the sequel. Right away I saw it was a standalone follow-up that neither kept the story or characters from the original, but remained a piece on crime, the streets and all that entails. 'Out of the Pits' isn't horrible, but squarely planted in predictable territory and not as good as some say.

Donte (Daniel Outlaw) loses his older brother to gang violence. Wanting revenge against the man Angel (Will Sierra) that killed him running very profitable yet illegal dogfights, but unable to do it himself. Hitman Jojo (Paris Campbell) can't neither as Angel is protected by Big Daddy (Lou Torres). So Donte goes to work for Jojo, but does he have what it takes to murder or will he get out before it's too late?

Predictable plotting and a lack of believability sink things here. Donte makes missteps that in real life would get him dead. Jojo is supposed to be a stone cold efficient killer, but his actions say otherwise. Too many scenes of ladies allowing themselves to be mistreated who feint shock after the fact. A wiggity wack character arch for the mom of the two sons at the heart of the tale.

An emphasis on dog fighting per the title, box cover is mostly for show. A lame attempt at marketing. That said if you can't get enough tales of the streets, crime fantasies then 'Ghetto Dawg 2: Out of the Pits' might satisfy. Characters, story aren't top tier, but unlike other low budget dtv trips I've sat through recently it's shot well and the acting is decent.

"Ghetto Dawg 2" is surprisingly just as good as the first one. I can't believe it. This time, Dante (Daniel Outlaw) has to fight for his life when his pitbulls lose in an illegal fight. A hit-man with a cold heart of gold, if that makes any sense, named Jojo (Campbell) helps him, and it turns ugly for all involved.

Paris Campbell as Jojo is fantastic, and reason alone to see this. Outlaw also puts in a decent performance. The writing and directing are top-notch for a DTV effort. Lionsgate has been known to put out urban garbage (State Property 1 & 2, Gang Tapes) so this was a surprise. The dogfights are brutal and so are the killings by Jojo, and it was cool to see this intact and not cut up like a rap music video. Don't roll your eyes at this one. It's actually worth seeing.

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The choices that people in a violent society have to face is the subject of this movie. The acting is great: Young talent in the main character and truly believable thugs. Packed with stunning and meaningful shots in what could be an uninspiring urban landscape. The story is unpredictable, because you're not sure how the main character is going to get out of his situation or if he will at all. I watched this movie on a tip from a friend who is into this genre (which I'm usually not) but I was not disappointed: it is refreshing and for what could seem like a low-budget movie, it looks great and is entertaining. Not for those sensitive to violence, but little of the violence is gratuitous or exploitative. It shows a rough world that we generally don't acknowledge.

Judging by the title, I thought this would be pure exploitation junk, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's an excellent movie about a ghetto teen who is obsessed with avenging his older brother's death in a shoot-out between members of a Latino crime boss' gang. He doesn't have what it takes to kill a man -- in fact, his first attempt almost gets him killed when he finds himself unable to pull the trigger -- so he starts tagging along with a veteran hit-man who shows him the ropes, and in the process gets a lot more than he bargained when he begins to see death close-up.

It's almost like something a young Martin Scorcese might direct today -- there's a MEAN STREETS/TAXI DRIVER/GOODFELLAS vibe to much of this urban gangster story -- but his influence only shows itself overtly in one or two scenes. The violence is shocking, but presented matter-of-factly in a realistic, non-stylized way (no slow-motion, no fancy editing). The entire cast does a great job bringing their characters to life, aided by Christine Conradt's excellent script, and the Crook Brothers (Jeffrey and Joshua), who appear briefly in the film as porn-movie makers, demonstrate much style and skill as directors.

If you like this genre, or even if you don't, GHETTO DAWG 2:OUT OF THE PITS is about as good as it gets.