Gang Tapes

I wouldnt describe this film as awful. The fact that all the film is shot through a camcorder makes one feel he is part of the furniture. The dialogues are somewhat tedious, but thats reality i guess. Possibility more could have been done when it comes to credibility. However, something fresh all the same!

I would describe this film as awful. The fact that all the film is shot through a camcorder makes one feel he is part of the furniture. The dialogues are somewhat tedious, but thats reality i guess. Possibility more could have been done when it comes to credibility. However, something fresh all the same!

I saw 'GANG TAPES' not long ago.. I must admit, it looks like the director (ADAM RIPP) really want to do this movie in a way where the viewer is seeing all the events, in a real life situation.. Yeah! There's so many stories about the L.A. gangbangers.. The questions of whys, hows, and whos are glamourized to coincide of what really happens out there..

If you compare this to 'BOYZ IN THE HOOD', I think there is a difference of how the two stories unfold from one another..

To sum this all up, Adam Ripp certainly did give the viewer the impression that what you're seeing is real.. And you have to see it for real..

But in the end, it's entertaining but I find it a bit unusual for a gangster film unlike this one..

Hopefully, Adam Ripp will give us more entertaining next time..

"Gang Tapes" is supposed to take the viewer inside an L.A. street gang via a jacked camcorder. The idea is; the person holding the videocam is a gang member who simply tapes the daily activities of his gang including murder, rape, drugs, robbery, etc. You know, the stuff gangs do every day. The problem with the flick, aside from its threadbare subject, is the whole production is purposely awful to give it that authentic shaky-cam feel while the scenes appear contrived with phony looking stage blood, obviously pulled punches, bad acting, etc. Bottom line: Reality films have poor quality because they're REAL. Trying to lend reality to a film using intentionally poor quality doesn't work when they subjects aren't real. The result is simply poor execution. (D)

'Gang Tapes' is a serious and fascinating look into life in south central LA. The movie does not try to become a larger than life portrayal of the gangsta life it documents. Instead it pretends to be an actual camera recording of a boy and his surroundings as he grows up. In this respect, 'Gang Tapes' excels phenomenally. You will have to remind yourself constantly that it is not a documentary you are watching, but a film. 'Gang Tapes' does not break this superior reality at all. The actors never seem fake, except for slight faults in Lonzo's strange fascination with showing off, all of the gangbanger's seem real throughout 'Gang Tapes'. One surprise though, is the gunshots heard throughout the film. Because of my past experience with these Gangsta B-movies (of which I have become quite a collector)I was expecting the usual dubbed over, pathetic shots that sound either to loud, or to quiet for the gun that was fired. 'Gang Tapes' again keeps to reality, each shot sounds as it should, loud and uncontrollable. This helps to create the film's impressive, yet gritty reality. Perhaps the only downfall of 'Gang Tapes' is the large amounts of all talk/ no action scenes throughout the film. These sequences are often just large fragments of conversation from Lonzo to another gangbanger.Though boring, these scenes reveal each characters perfectly realistic personalities. They are important parts of the film's structure.

All in all 'Gang Tapes' is an accurate depiction of the lives of the residents in South Central LA.

9/10