Gang Tapes

When Gang Tapes reaches theaters in 2002, stuffy critics will undoubtedly describe it as: "Blair Witch meets Boyz in the Hood." Of course, this description doesn't do justice to Gang Tapes. Directed by Adam Ripp (in his directorial debut), Gang Tapes is far more coherent and engrossing than the dreadful Blair Witch, and succeeds in making the once-potent Boyz in the Hood now look like an after-school special. Like Kids (1995), Gang Tapes pulls no punches. Murders, sodomy, beatings, and drive-by shootings are all shown on camera, albeit in a way which serves the story and is unsensationalistic. So, if Gang Tapes deserves a nickname at all, that name should be "HOODFELLAS". The story begins when a young teenager named Kris "acquires" a garden variety camcorder from John and Jane Q. Tourist. Armed with his newly liberated camera and tape, young Kris proceeds to document everything: the violent, humorous, tragic, joyous, and sexual moments of his world.

While by no means a perfect film, Gang Tapes works well as a minimally plotted study of lost teenaged souls; it also feels like an informal rebirth of Italian neo-realist cinema. There are no "name actors" in the film. There is no hot young rapper, no comedian, and no heartthrob to look at. Instead, Gang Tapes offers a cast of mostly non-actors performing with gusto. If you're hoping Gang Tapes will "let you off the hook" with wall-to-wall, watered-down pop tunes, forget it. Gang Tapes' soundtrack is hardcore rap, which perfectly accentuates the equally rough-edged events. With a digital camera recording all of the goings-on, there are no Ophulsian tracking shots or lengthy Steadicam moves -- only a handheld look at the brutal concrete jungles of South Central Los Angeles. In Gang Tapes' world, all Hollywood presuppositions are thrown to the wind: even the nice guys get killed. Yet Gang Tapes is not just about brutality. Ripp and co-writer Steven Woolfson carefully examine their characters but don't waste time judging them. Instead, the script subtly addresses issues pertaining to media. For example, when Serial commits his first act of violence after being parolled, he immediately wants to see a replay of his handiwork. This moment is far more telling than all of the heavy-handed (and pedestrian) "Fifteen Minutes"(2001), which dealt more centrally with on-camera crimes. Kris's humorous "test drive" of the digital camera recalls the joy of David Holtzman's cinematic discovery in the sadly underrated "David Holtzman's Diary" (1968). Gang Tapes will undoubtedly incite controversy and divide audiences when it is released: Some will say it is sensationalistic, while others will applaud its raw cinematic power. But, ultimately, it offers first-rate performances, and an effective (if episodic) script. With his directorial debut, Adam Ripp succeeds in creating a sobering look at hell on Earth -- and the lives living in it.

'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

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!

"Gang Tapes" doesn't pussyfoot around. One is immediately assailed by so many utterances of the word "niggah" that you begin to wonder why most black people are so offended when they hear "whitey" say it. The term brackets practically every declarative sentence in the dialog. Nearly as bad is the continuous use of profanity of the most objectionable sort. "Cyril" is the worst of this group of violent young criminals. Just out of jail, the first thing he does is take a tire iron to the head of a guy walking down the street with his girlfriend. The apparently senseless act starts a cycle of violence between the gang and their chief rivals in the hood that takes out one after another of the film's main characters. Ironically, we never find out exactly what happened to Cyril. Engaged in a violent argument with Alonzo and his fellow gang members following an aborted home invasion, he utters one of the film's most memorable lines: "Niggah, I don't give a f**k if you don't give a f**k so shut the f**k up, mothahf**kah ... niggah!" Later, while practicing with his Uzi in the L.A. River basin, he explains to Kris how his name was changed from "Action" to Cyril. Here, he comes off as slightly less violent and stupid than at other times, although he is still strangely immature for his age. "It was long before you started coming outside," he explains to his young comrade. Another of the gang members actually strikes one as thoughtful. He wants out of the lifestyle and attempts to discourage Kris from becoming either a carbon copy of his older brother, the crack salesman Alonzo, for whom there are actually ethical lines he refuses to cross, or much worse, the unapologetic sociopath, Cyril, who recognizes no boundaries.

I have to disagree with those who claim the film is so brilliant that it is without significant flaws. The low quality of the video is evident throughout, and although amateurish use of the camera would be expected from a 14-year-old amateur videographer (who must be given points for creating a stable platform on the handle bars of his bike), it keeps the movie from being as good as it might have been. Also, the theme music behind the audio track practically drowns out the conversation at several points and is very distracting. The party scenes and rap sessions are overlong, annoying, and too noisy. Several of the young women in the film are quite pretty, well-dressed and intelligent, which adds a pleasant element, but frankly, one does not expect that to be the case in a bad neighborhood. Alonzo's girlfriend is especially cute, as is the voluptuous young woman who decides to make the virginal Kris "into a man." His mom is one of the nicest looking ladies, by the way, although she seems strangely unaware of the life and death struggle going on with her two sons. The final credits reveal that she performed several of the songs for the movie. All in all, this is an interesting movie, if rather shocking and overwhelming. Despite the talent of the actors, the subject matter does not reflect well on black people, in general. As such, it is understandable if some object to it's airing, although the suppression and censorship of artistic expression should never be embraced.

It is the rare feature film that makes the viewer think that he is watching a documentary. At some point, the glare of the bright lights or some errors of continuity belie the illusion and the spell is broken. Rare is the film that succeeds in its attempt to thrust the viewer into a situation, and make one feel genuine, life-or-death tension. Gang Tapes, the stunning, new film from first-time director Adam Ripp.

The film, which will be unfairly compared to The Blair Witch Project (more on that later), is a stunning pseudo-documentary that takes the viewer on an enlightening, enthralling, intense, and often horrifying journey. Gang Tapes opens with a white family, on vacation, videotaping their trip to Southern California. Suddenly, the are attacked in their rental van, and suddenly, the camera is in the hands of the carjackers, still taping.

The camera makes its way into the hands of a 14-year old gangsta wannabe, Kris (Trivell) who, after acquiring the camera, proceeds to tape everything in his life. The camera becomes a window into his life. It records conversations with his mother, violent beatings, the loss of his virginity, drive-by shootings, drug deals, and all the other episodes that made up the fabric of Kris' existence.

Though some might accuse it of being episodic, that is what life is; a series of episodes strung together. Several aspects give this film its gritty realism. First, the razor-sharp editing by Tina Imahara is relentless. One forgets that this is a film because it truly feels like we are moving from one episode in Kris' life to another. Second, the film does an incredibly effective job of conveying violence. The viewer feels the punches. The gunshots are remarkably lifelike. When people get shot, you do not think that you are watching squibs and blood packets. The recoil, the deep rumble, and the reaction of the victims all feel real.

The acting is also remarkably solid. The cast members (primarily current and former gang members) play themselves; however, that they can do this without being conscious of the camera is remarkable. The past experiences that this cast brought to the film could not have been captured by even the most talented of actors. They prove that there is nothing more convincing than reality. Trivell, who helps to carry the film, shows remarkable range. He veers from childhood to adulthood; alternating between maturity beyond his years and incredibly immaturity.

Finally, the script is brutal and unflinching. Ripp and co-writer Steven Wolfson made a crucial decision after casting the film. Instead of hoping that they could realistically capture the sound of the street, they handed the script over to their cast, and had them translate the film into a more realistic street vernacular. This terrific decision sealed the fate of this film. In much the same way that Goodfellas captured the beats, the timing, the accents of the city streets, Gang Tapes is similarly effective at capturing the reality of life on the gang-infested streets.

Some will be lazy and attempt to compare this film to The Blair Witch Project, which is a vastly inferior film; however, where one who watched that film never forgot that he was watching a film, in Gang Tapes, the illusion is never broken. An amazing seven-minute monologue in the middle of this film belies that fact. This film can be compared more accurately to 1995's Kids, which was also an unflinching, often-troubling look at a distinct cultural sub-section.

The only unfortunate thing about this film is that Lions Gate films is having a very difficult time releasing it. Though it has already garnered an "R" rating from the MPAA, theater chains nationwide fear that the film will engender violence, and, accordingly, have blacklisted the film. This decision is a ludicrous one. If anything, by the end of this 81-minute masterpiece, viewers will either be so numbed or disturbed by that which they witnessed that they will walk out of the theater silent.

Not everyone will like this film. It is challenging, uncompromising, intense, and disturbing. The language is not easy on the ears. It is real and many people are terrified by reality. Those who are offended by the "n" word are advised to stay away. The word appears numerous times in the film because it is part of the vernacular of the streets. However, those willing to take a chance and see a film that will move them and that they will not soon forget, should call their local movie theater and demand that the theater screen Gang Tapes.

This unforgettable film remains with the viewer for days after it unspools. It is an extraordinary achievement from a director with an incredibly bright future. It is a crime to think that a film of this quality might not get the wide release it deserves. If and when it does, rest assured that it will be regarded as an instant classic. Gang Tapes is one of the best films of this or any year.