Black Scar Blues

So I checked this out after watching The Brokenhearted (2024), which I really liked. I was curious to see what Leroy Nguyen's earlier stuff looked like, and while this one definitely isn't on the same level, it was still kind of cool to see where he started.

The movie's rough around the edges for sure-story-wise and visually. The pacing is a bit slow at times, and the plot didn't grab me the way The Brokenhearted did. But you can already see flashes of Nguyen's style: the gritty realism, the raw fight scenes, and that quiet tension between characters. It's clear even back then that he had a vision.

I wouldn't recommend this to someone just looking for a fun watch, but if you're interested in how directors grow and develop their voice, it's actually pretty fascinating. You can really see how far Nguyen has come since this film, and that alone made it worth watching.

Not great, but not a waste of time either-more of a stepping stone on the way to something better.