Strapped (1993)

All though the story reflects on something serious, which to me is mainly the way too easy access to guns teenagers have in the big cities in the states it just doesn't work. There are so many annoying things about this flick. Mainly the lousy action from all the black kids in the movie. And I'm not a a racist or anything but they really do suck. The only one of them that does a half-descent job is Bokeem Woodbine. But his character is so dumb and makes so many stupid decisions that screws up his life more and more until he finally goes to jail for a murder he didn't commit, that it makes it very hard for the viewer to feel any sympathy for him. He might never have had a chance because hes black and poor and blah blah blah but that doesn't excuse complete ignorance.The only actors that does a good job is the always wonderful Michael Biehn as Mathhew Macrae and Craig Wasson as the disgusting arms-dealer that sell guns to kids on the street. And also all the other white actors in the film. But again, this is not because I'm a racist, there are many great black actors, but not in this film. And the soundtrack is sooo annoying. That rap-music that pops up every time Diquan meets some of his homies+ the lousy acting from all of them makes it impossible to take those scenes seriously.And some people might see Biehns character as a bad-guy but I see him as a hard-working, honest cop, who might be using Diquan but really just wants to stop the gun-dealing on the streets but unfortunately gets the moron Diquan as his informant. And thats how real cops work.

I wish this movie was put on DVD, i do however own the VHS copy of it .. It stars Fredro Starr from ONYX and has many cameo appearances of hip hop celeb's including BUSTER played by none other than Bustah Rhymes -- and the one (or was it two) hit wonders Das Efx..Also look for Sticky Fingaz also from ONYX in the line-up scene...The soundtrack, the clothes, the sets (Graffiti) ... They will all take you back to 93...Nyc hip hop..BUY THIS MOVIE!.I'm not judging this movie on the content of the script, nor the direction. (Frankly the story is kind of weak and the end is truly baffling) I'm coming from a Hip Hop historian point of view , this is definitely worth owning.

I must give credit where credit is due. This film has a pretty good, well-structured script, with a powerful crisis and climax in the end. I must commend the writer for putting together such a script.But the acting wasn't convincing most of the time, and the Brooklyn portrayal, which includes the character's choices of clothing, didn't give a realistic image of the Brooklyn I know. I would also probably change the music in the film, cut-out the snippets of reggae music during the revealing of a gun in the film, and the emphasis made on the main actors to look like thugs. The actors over did their performances as criminals most of the time and it was a bit distracting to someone, like myself, who grew up hanging out with true thugs from the streets of Brooklyn, New York.But besides all of that, the film was still great. From a grade of A+, being excellent, to a F, being the worst, I give this film a C...

If you haven't been to the streets of an urban town where drugs and guns are on the boost of popularity, then this is the film for you. After seeing Strapped you'll know exactly what happens in places all over the world where teenagers become shcool drop-outs and gun buyers. Strapped is a film which keeps you awake during the whole movie. Watch it, you won't be disappointed!