Blue Hill Avenue

Absolute Dogsh!t.... dont waste your time or money on this unbelievable crap...unless of course you have the mentality of a potato.

I love Clarence Williams III and it really hurts me to see him in crap like this. Same goes for William Forsythe for that matter, although he doesn't rate anywhere near C.W.III, he at one time showed promise.

Go out & re-rent New Jack City, The King of New York, or Scarface so at least you can see this same story being told with style and believability.

I believe that there is an industry-wide conspiracy to deny theatrical access for independent films, particularly those with multi-cultural casts and themes. Blue Hill Ave. reinforces this suspicion in my mind. Of course, I've seen better movies, but I've certainly seen much worse movies in theatrical release and I cannot believe that Blue Hill Ave. could not merit at least a moderate theatrical release on about 500 screens. I would have certainly paid $8 to see this film rather than to see "Soul Plane", "You Got Served", "Baby's Daddy", etc. Perhaps the Justice Dept. needs to step up their investigation into the anti-competitive practices of the mega conglomerate-owned film production and distribution entities. This was supposed to have been resolved in U.S. v Patamount back in 1948! Anyway, I digress. I though Craig Ross, Jr. and his cast and crew did an exceptional job with this film, especially on such a low budget!

If films like Cappuccino (an earlier quality film from this same writer/director) and Blue Hill Ave. can't make it to theaters and the previously mentioned vapid works are able to, why should intelligent Black folks pay $8. at the theater? I hope Mr. Ross' investors were able to profit on this one!

This was one of those films that came across like an attempt to create a "respectable" Black gangster film, but falls somewhere short of the mark. Centering around the drug-dealing activities of a group of childhood friends, led by "Tristan" (Allen Payne), the film fails to adequately show how Payne's character evolved into such a materialistic and brutal drug lord. Reared in what is portrayed as a happy, loving, two-parent, middle-class family, Tristan suddenly emerges as an adolescent--barely out of puberty--capable of blowing the head off of anyone who would thwart his drug-dealing enterprises. The neighborhood drug kingpin "Benny" (Clarence Williams III), who initially invited these young boys into his fold, becomes engaged in a battle for turf with his former protégés when they reach adulthood. Only Tristan, the story's protagonist, survives and leaves the drug business after having discovered that his drug-addicted younger sister is in the hospital struggling for life after having consumed an overdose of crack cocaine, the very substance with which he has built an empire.

This film is action-packed & filled with plot twists (too many), and should be a hit with a significant portion of the twenty-something-and-under audience, mainly those accustomed to heavy doses of film violence. Yet many viewers may find something almost comical, and probably disturbing, about the inexplicable personality traits of the character Tristan (Allen Payne) and the seedy and aging Benny (Clarence Williams III). Additionally, viewers familiar with Blaxploitation-era films will notice that this feature seemed to lean heavily on the film-industry-demanded formula for Black films of the 1970s, which portrayed most Black female characters as weak &/or morally deficient &/or expendable (Pam Grier excluded). There are no well-defined female characters in this film. Tristan's wife tries to appear long-suffering and wants him out of the drug business, but is attached to the luxury that his criminality affords her. Benny's girlfriend is attached to him primarily for his financial support. These factors are sure to ruffle some feathers. Other viewers, however, may see this film as an action-packed adventure and a genuine Black contribution to the genre of gangster films where audiences identify with, respect, and sometimes sympathize with characters that they wouldn't go near in real life (Can You Say "The Godfather"?) These various impressions, however, leave you wondering exactly what "Blue Hill Avenue" is trying to say or do.

All of the actors in this film, most notably Allen Payne and Clarence Williams III, breathed life into characters that we are never quite sure we believe, which says more about the immense talent of the cast than about the film itself. A sophisticated audience, however, will wonder whether some pertinent scenes are laying on the editor's floor.

Had the opportunity to see this movie at a free screening. So, that being said that I saw this for free, I thought the movie was okay. It was somewhat predictable, but still worth while. It's basically a movie about 4 childhood friends who get caught up in the drug game. They started off small time marijuana dealers and grow up to be the biggest coke dealers on Blue Hill Avenue.

The movie starts at the end, and then flashes back to their childhood. And it progresses on from childhood, back to where the movie started, and on from there. It's almost a typical drug/gangster movie. Except, the ending lacks character development and it doesn't explain why things happened the way they did. Also, there are scenes in the movie which are supposed to be serious, but somehow, they are hilarious.

And, for some reason, although I have my complaints about this movie, it's a good movie to have discussions about. I wish I could've taken more people with me to this screening, because I found myself talking about this movie days after I watched it.

So, even with its' flaws, when and if this movie ever comes to a theater near you, go see it, you'll at least laugh at the silliness that happens throughout!

And the actors really did a great job! It was great seeing Brandon Hammond (Ahmad from the movie Soul Food) in this movie, he did a great job.

I can not believe so few people have seen this movie. It is a terrific film. It has all the action, intrigue, double and triple crosses, and tragedy anyone could ask for. The plot and its development is a work of art. It is first class. The characters are so real and the depth of their portrayals goes well beyond most crime films, including the Godfathers. This is a film you must see if you every watched a single episode of The Sopranos, and liked it.