Hood Angels (2003)

****SPOILER ALERT****Hood Angels does exactly what it says on the tin. The cover is a perfect summary of what is to come. The film is filled with outstanding, heart pounding action scenes featuring intense and truly brutal fight sequences. But don't let that make you think that 'Hood Angels' is your typical AAA Hollywood action film because it is not. There is a serious amount of sympathy for our 3 protagonists as they are arrested for crimes they did not commit (much like Andy Dufresne). To draw a link between 'Hood Angels' and 'Shawshank Redemption' wouldn't do the film justice. You cannot help but endure that sinking feeling as Cinnamon, Traci and Felicia are thrown into jail. Genius director Paul Wynne then continues with the heart break as lead character Nitro (played ingeniously by rapper 'Juvenile') is violently murdered. Thankfully the film doesn't try to tick every box and avoids the temptation to delve into comedy. This only adds to intensity of this films action and overall success.Le Jon's performance as the mail-room clerk is nothing short of breath- taking, it is rare that the movie industry runs into such a young yet talented actor.The moment the credits rolled was the moment I whispered the word Oscar. 10/10

I watched Hood Angels last months as a couple of friends decided to put the movie on.There are three main female characters in the film (Cinnamon, Felicia and Traci) who all get involved in bad situations but through innocent circumstances come together after they are sent to prison.I believe that the film did have some potential as the main character Cinnamon tries to uncover the truth about her brothers murder and there are one or two twists along the way. The main antagonist in the film is Shayla who has instigated a lot of the trouble and she can be quite a bitch at times. Her cat fight with Felicia is probably one of the best fight scenes in the film.There were however some disappointments, the acting could have been improved between some of the characters as they could have had more personality and the effects could have been a little better, also there is not a lot of action in the film until the final half an hour which is worth seeing.Sadly i can only give this film 4 out of 10.

But the problem with "Hood Angels" is not just the lack of budget; it is also the lack of talent. The trailer promises an action-packed film, but the actual film is mostly talk, with about 3-4 fight scenes, all of which are spoiled by the disastrous editing (in one scene, a guy gets kicked in the face; in the next shot, he is holding his stomach!). The portrayal of the rap world is totally stereotypical (perhaps it's not so surprising that the director is white). From its straight-to-video look to the acting, "Hood Angels" is an amateurish production in all respects. Fortunately, one of the female leads, Kenia Brown, is stunning and athletic; unfortunately, she only appeared in one more film after this and then disappeared. (*)

I just saw this today.. I must admit, it's not a bad film.. but it needs a bit more action and excitement to it..In this movie, it tells the story of three women from different backgrounds.. You got Felicia (played by KITA SHA) who's a model, Traci (played by ALLISON NURSE) who's a secretary and Cinnamon (played by KENIA BROWN) who's happens to be a sister of a rap star, Nitro (played by real-life rap star JUVENILE).When NITRO gets murdered, her Sister Cinnamon tries to figure out who's responsible.. By doing this, she teams with her friends who she meets as they all first gets sent to prison by kicking some poor soul's ass.As it goes on, it seems that there's more to just Nitro's murder.. but something more sinister. First it leads onto Nitro's manager J (played by LAYON GRAY) and then onto Shayla (played by Erica Goings).. Are you following me..? If not, you have to watch the movie again.. But I'm not gonna say who's really responsible..The film in a whole is OK! But I would've felt like the director, Paul Wynne could do something more better.. Unlike Charlie's Angels (film-wise..) there was a lot of things.. Humour, action, love, etc.. which all makes up the whole film entertaining.. This one was almost hits the mark.. Mind you, the three lead characters were good. They stood out alright.. But this is a black urban version of Charlie's Angels.. The rap music did get me going.. There are musical tracks on there that I was really rocking to.. which made me (the viewer) kept going with the film..For a low budget film like this one.. it was a good effort! So to say.. But if there was more action, more romance, more humour.. It would've been better.. The director Paul Wynne may've done a good job. He casted some really nice black actresses (Brown, Nurse and Sha) for the three leads.. Juvenile..? I don't usually hear from him a lot.. But it was nice to see him on screen. Layon Day's performance was good. But his character J kept his cool..! and so was Erica Goings..At the end of the day, it's a kind of film you would watch on a rainy day.. I did. But as whole I'm giving it 7 out of 10!