Road Dogz (2002)

I've seen many Latino-themed movies but not many that has the heart and soul of Road Dogz. I can't believe this film did not have a theatrical release, it's better than most "B" hood movies that are out there. This movie seems to be one of those films that never received its proper(and deserving) recognition. Road Dogz seems to be a film that is so under the radar that not too many people know about it. I just discovered it and I'm glad I did. It's powerful film-making! The acting, writing, and directing are very good and it feels REAL- you believe that this is a legitimate Chicano Experience, a true slice of life. I would like to see what writer-director Alfredo Ramos does next. Do yourself a favor and watch this film, you won't be sorry.

While browsing T.V. late at night, I came across "Road Dogz", a film which I passed off as a typical "homies" movies. But, I was very surprised when I watched it and became very interested in it. Maybe it's because I can relate, and because I've grown up around these things that I found the film to be so intriguing. Or maybe it's because I consider Clifton Collins Jr. to be a great actor. No matter what the reason I thought this film was well written and executed, especially to be on a such a low budget. The actors were great, and so was the story. To sum it up, I thought that "Road Dogz" was a great movie and one of which I would be more than happy to go out and add to my collection of movies.

I could hear the pitch: "It's Boyz 'N The Hood meets Blood In, Blood Out, with a sprinkle of Saturday Night Fever thrown in for good measure with a vision by Spike Lee if he was Mexican-American instead of an African-American." But despite my cynicism, of the three Hispanic-themed in-the-hood movies I have seen in the last two weeks, this is the most professional production with a nice 35mm print and director of photography who knew what he was doing behind the camera. This was not an amateurish, half-ass attempt as I have seen till now that plagues this genre. But what I do agree with the reviews here is that this is not really an original screenplay. Yes, we have seen this storyline in many other movies such as those that I have cited earlier, but for some reason, I liked it more than I thought I would. I felt ALL the actors did a good and believable job. The three main characters are likeable in their confused, on-the-cusp of adulthood identities, though some of the scenes were repetitive between them. What I felt lacking though were the depth of the female characters. They had a breezy presence which could have added to the story if used correctly. (General question here: In movies, why can't Hispanic males wanna go to college and better themselves? Why is it that only Latinas have this ambition?) I did notice something which I felt added to the overall story arch sublimally: everyone seen onscreen was a Mexican or Mexican-American. I hope film producers will make more of this homogenous society in East L.A. I imagine there are so many stories out there as long as they do not fall into the trap of ethnic stereotyping or cliches, even if the makers are Hispanic themselves.

Bad directing. Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad editing. Bad sound. I felt nothing for any of these characters and could care less. This film is a "Boyz in the Hood" wanna be, but never achieved the heart and strength for any of the characters and stories. Much less the cinematic achievement, with the typical Latino stories that have been told and told again. Not all Latinos grew up in the 'hood'. Characters such as Torneo and Abuelito should just have been edited out completely. And obviously, with the character of Alfonso, not much casting choices were seen for this actor. The only thing that made me cry in this film was the waste of time I spent watching it.