Made in America

The documentary is pretty one-sided in terms of what it covers. But I don't begrudge that what it does address did lead to gangs (segregation, racism, etc.). The film tells this side well with good background and history. I learned a lot about LA racial history. However, the "criminal enterprise" aspect of gangs isn't really addressed at all. Gangs have structures, turf, and commerce. While they may have sprung from hopelessness and segregation, they evolved into criminal enterprises that are quick to use deadly violence.

I give this film 5 stars because it really addresses half the story. It is a good history lesson on why gangs came to be, but I would have liked to understand their structure and commerce more (the day-to-day reasons for their existence and brutality). The film kind of shrugs off the violence as gang members list many reasons why their lives suck. That's fine, but it really needed to be balanced more with what they gain from gangs through drugs, robbery and violence. The gang members are not powerless victims - they profit from and gain status from the violence.

Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Director Stacy Peralta does a very good job covering the brutal and deadly battle between rival L.A. gangs the Crips and the Bloods. This documentary looks at why the two sides took off in popularity and what is being done to try and stop the violence.

I thought this was an extremely well-balanced documentary that gave an open and honest look at the subject. We're given quite a bit of history on racism and how South Central L.A. ended up turning into a ghetto when you've got so much rich things surrounding it. The documentary did a great job at covering the rise of the two gangs as well as all the violence that would follow. The issue of poverty and what that plays into is also reviewed.

We get some great interviews with members of both gangs as well as family members who have had loved ones lost to the violence. Forest Whitaker does a very good job with the narration and adds a classy touch to the entire thing.

I would like to start right off by saying that those of you who have criticized this film for being one sided propaganda, flashy, too much like a music video, exaggerated, etc. etc. have no idea what you are talking about

For the past 10 years I have worked as a bartender in nightclubs in the LA area. I got to know a lot of people from South Central LA, including a lot of gangsters and gang bangers, both black and Hispanic, and I have a few friends that live in that area. Unless you have been there yourself, you do not know anything about South Central. It is a no man's land, miles of run down houses and buildings, blocks of empty lots, liquor stores and pawn shops, as the film indicates. The schools are in shambles, with over crowding, no music, no art. There are no parks, no museums, no nothing. You try living like that.

A few weeks ago, I found a stray dog there on the corner and I took it home, a week later there was a gang shooting on the same corner, A 19 year old had been shot and killed with an AK47.

I used to think people were exaggerating, but clearly I was wrong. We're all a product of our surroundings, and this truly is a kill or be killed environment, and it's not just the gang bangers that own guns.

I do not condone their behavior, but I have to say that most of the guys I have met, were good guys that ended up in a terrible way of life. And don't forget most of them got involved in gangs when they just kids, usually about 10 years old. So it's easy to see how they can get caught up in this violent, oppressive, hopeless, maze, that our society doesn't care about. Add to that any personal challenges such as a dysfunctional home, low self esteem, addiction, etc. etc and you have a recipe for disaster. Oh, and let's not forget about how many guns and assault rifles are on the street, thanks to the NRA.

Also, I saw this film on PBS which is a network known for quality programming, so I highly doubt they would have aired it if it were not an authentic documentary. I also doubt Forrest Whitaker would have narrated it, and he is from there, he would know.

Again I don't think the gang thing is OK, but this problem did not come out of a vacuum, and that's the point of the film, that there are events and circumstances that have created this problem.

Growing up I faced a lot of challenges, a crazy family, problems with drugs and alcohol, depression, low self esteem, and I am a white female who lived in a nice neighborhood. I cannot imagine adding to it all of the above, I think it would have pushed me over the edge.

This film is the real deal no matter what the critics say.

When I saw that Stacy Peralta had another documentary at this year's Sundance, I put it at the top of my list. Both Riding Giants (surfing) and Dogtown and Z-Boys (skateboarding) were extraordinary peeks into unique and fascinating American cultures. Made in America shifts it's focus to another less romantic section of Southern California, and promised a more somber experience, taking a penetrating look at the gangs of South Central Los Angeles, one of the most deadly areas in the United States.

Like his other docs, this one takes a historical perspective. How did these gangs start? What cultural forces propagated their beginnings and fueled their growth? Who are these people? What are they really like, and why do they do what they do? I think Peralta's gift is that he manages to really connect with his subjects and gain their trust, which turns out to be absolutely critical in the South Central neighborhoods. He also manages to tell a story with interest and compassion, but primarily through the perspective of those that have lived and shaped the experience.

Financed by South Central native and Golden State Warriors star Baron Davis, as well as an anonymous interested party in Hollywood, Made in America tells a story about a part of America we have chosen to ignore, despite the small-scale war that rages there every day. Seeing this movie will make you think a little differently about gang warfare, change your perspective, maybe add a little empathy to your world view. And for a filmmaker, that's perhaps the highest form of the art.

Sundance Moment: I saw this movie at the last day of Sundance down in Salt Lake City, far away from the glitz and glamor and stars in Park City. I heard Stacy Peralta was sick and probably wouldn't make it. But he did come, and not just for the introduction, but stayed for the Q&A as well, and talked with passion about how make this movie had changed him, and how important it is that we realize that teenagers are killing each other, something that would absolutely not be tolerated by society in any suburban area of our country, but goes virtually unnoticed in South Central.

I was lucky enough to be part of a select crowd last week to see the Los Angeles premier of "Made In America" in the center of downtown LA. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as many of the characters who appeared in the film were there to see it, many for the first time. Though there were were sound issues early, the power and integrity of the film could not be masked.

This is such an important film. It is so easy to live in this city, sitting back in condos in Sherman Oaks or fancy houses in Brentwood, and have no idea that a whole other city exists just south of the 10 freeway. Early on in the movie a number is thrown out; fifteen thousand gang related homicides in the past twenty years. Think about that for a moment. If that was happening in any other country, to any other race of people, there would be an out cry to the UN. In Los Angeles, it's just another day. Turn the page and see what Britney did this time. This is a story that needs to be told. The people of Los Angeles need to hear this. I heard some talk at the end of the film that they may try to show this in the LA school system. I hope that this happens. Knowledge is power. And, there is a message in here that needs to be shouted from the roof tops.

I have seen some critics try to attack Stacy Peralta, suggesting that a white, former surfer/skate boarder does not have the right to tell this tale. I would ask, if not him, then whom? Who else has stepped up to put their reputation on the line, to go into these neighborhoods with an open mind and open heart, and sacrificed years of their life to give a voice to this condemned segment of society? This has been Stacy's most ambitious project to date. I applaud his efforts and congratulate him on shedding light on a subject that most of America would rather ignore.

Please go see this film. Please tell your friends. It's not a romantic comedy. You will feel it in your guts for the next week or so. But, it's worth it, I promise.