Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS ACTUALLY AN OK MOVIE!
Review: A FAMILY ON VACATION GETS CARJACKED AND THEIR CAMCORDER GETS STOLEN. AFTER THAT, THE CAMCORDER IS GIVEN TO A YOUNG TEEN WHO RECORDS HIS DAILY EXPERIENCES IN THE STREETS OF LA. LIKE MUCH OF THE OTHER RECENTLY RELEASED GANGSTA MOVIES, IT IS LOW BUDGETED. HOWEVER, THIS IS A SUPRISINGLY OK MOVIE. THIS MOVIE HAS ENOUGH REALISM AND ENOUGH GOOD SCENES TO MAKE THIS A WATCHABLE MOVIE. ALSO HAS SOME UNINTENDED COMEDY.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must See
Review: A very insightful work that directly associates the street gang lifestyle to set of realistic consequences. By far the best "inside" attempt to capture the daily life of an active gang involved family and the never ending cycle of violence. So well done, the viewer finds themselves beginning to wonder whether the video capture is something real that found itself in open market production.
Rating:
Summary: A Must See
Review: A very insightful work that directly associates the street gang lifestyle to set of realistic consequences. By far the best "inside" attempt to capture the daily life of an active gang involved family and the never ending cycle of violence. So well done, the viewer finds themselves beginning to wonder whether the video capture is something real that found itself in open market production.
Rating: 
Summary: The year¿s best DVD premiere.
Review: Gang Tapes is the year's best DVD premiere, a grimly compelling indie that's as dynamic as it is heartbreaking.Using a subjective camera to drive the narrative, director Adam Ripp gives his film a loose, improvisational quality that will have viewers questioning whether they're seeing something authentic. This truly inventive movie has tremendous energy, beginning with the surprise carjacking, proceeding through a shocking gang ambush and moving toward an unforgettably powerful ending.
Rating:
Summary: Must have film
Review: I saw this dvd almost by accident and have to say that this film portrays EXACTLY what takes places in many U.S urban cities on a daily bases (just check out [...] "press release editorials" or police sites of major us cities's for their homicide trends). As one who had been there and seen what takes place first hand i can say that no other film has brung its odience so close to what really happens in the streets of urban america. One to add to any collection.
Rating:
Summary: you should mos def see this
Review: i was lookin through tha new releases in tha movie store and found this so i got it.. its a great movie i like tha documentary style but tha ending really surprised me.. overall it was a great movie and i reccomend it to people who are interested in this type of movie..
Rating:
Summary: TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY
Review: If you're familiar with the works of the danish directors who've signed the DOGMA charter, GANG TAPES may please you with its improbable camera movements and its documentary style. If not, stay away from this movie. The director Adam Ripp has chosen to present us the life of a group of friends in the black districts of East L.A. The point of view is not objective, it's the point of view of the person who's filming through the lenses of a video camera stolen from white tourists. As different persons are interested by this camera, the point of view is often changing although it is mainly in the hands of Kris, a 14 years old boy. I must admit that the scenes of violence of GANG TAPES are, in my opinion, far more impressive than those shown in the Hollywood thrillers. You never know what will happen next on the screen and you really feel in your guts the paranoia which is the life's companion of these people. And the impacts of the bullets in the body of the victims will hit you as if you were present in the hot streets of the city of the angels. A DVD zone discovery.
Rating:
Summary: This is not Menace 2 Society
Review: If you're looking for Menace 2 Society. Forget it! This is way better. The movie features actors and real life gang members. Darrius Love is the only actor that most people have heard of since he was on City Guys and other teen shows. Just think of it as Blair Witch (without the witch) meets Menace to Society. You want to educate kids on gangs. Give this movei a try!
Rating:
Summary: One of the year's best films.
Review: 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 76-minute masterpiece, viewers will either be so numbed or disturbed by that which they witnessed that they will be 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 will encounter an unforgettable film remains with the viewer for days after it unspools. It is an extraordinary achievement from a director with an incredibly bright future. Gang Tapes is one of the best films of this or any year.
Rating:
Summary: Real Insider Look
Review: Kudos to the research team on this documentary style thrill-a-minute movie. This is not your typical hope-we-get-it-right gang movie. I was very impressed by the realism, from the beat-down given by the recently (10 minutes) released inmate of the LACJ all the way to the various street justice scenes and not to mention the party scenes...all real stuff. This movie hits it right on the button with all aspects of street life survival...show your kids if they think this life is cool...most wouldn't last a second in East LA under these realistic conditions.
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