Rating: Summary: LORDS VS. HAWKS Review: This is a classic. This movie brings an understanding of the change that took place in the 70's.
Rating: Summary: Real! Review: This movie gives a realistic and interesting portrayal of gang life. I enjoyed it but some parts were difficult to watch. The funeral scene was absolutely unbearable. It was grueling and disheartening. Although this is an accurate depiction of a gang funeral, the preacher was completely out of control! How many times was the line "Who killed Little Boy???" actually in the script? 100? Horrific! Each time I watch this movie I mute out this scene. Watching the police officers beat Sonny is also unbearable. Both scenes are an integral part of the movie but wayyyy too long! On the other hand, I enjoyed watching the group of friends discuss their dreams of life beyond the ghetto. The parade was a scene that embraced the culturalism of the city and other recreational options for the youth it had to offer. Although the ending was sad, it is tremendously realistic and shows the struggles that are ever present in the rise from poverty and oppression.
Rating: Summary: "THE SEED" OF STREET LIFE MOVIES Review: This movie is the forerunner of the real "street life" movies. When West Side Story did its run there weren't any movies (to my knowledge) that portrayed street life until the Education of Sonny Carson. After Sonny Carson, you had films like the Lords of Flatbush, the Wonderers and the Warriors, Boys in the Hood and then blah, blah, blah. No dis to those films, they were good also but this is "the seed" of real street life as shown on film. It is a "street life" classic. It was filmed right here in Brooklyn using real gang members from the 70s, reenacting what life was on the streets in the 60s. This movie has some rough spots, so get your nerves up: like the killing of little boy and Sonny being beaten up by the cops. The jail scene wasn't pretty either (pre Oz kinda stuff). It is so intense at times that its a "see once in a while" movie for me. I simply got it the first time I saw it as a kid. Because I was in Brooklyn as a youth during the filming of the movie and watched the real gangs of the time (Jollystompers and Tomahawks) march through Crown Heights on they're way to Prospect Park to shoot the rumble scene ... so it has a special place with me. If your one of those special effects with lots of blood without a plot kind of movie watcher then your simply not in the real world (or from it) and the movie may go over your head. But if your from the streets or have an interest in its history and culture then check out this film. And if your into Hip Hop Culture then its also a must see. Although the movie doesn't show you what Sonny does after his release from the beast (prison) it does show you what he encountered upon his return to the streets. That was a cool tactic ... why? Sonny Carson is a real person and anything you what to know about him is in the open. So the struggle continues.
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