Road Dogz (2002)

Boring

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

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.

The list of problems I had with this film is long, and I agree with many of the comments I've read and heard about the film, that it's unoriginal and a knock-off of Boyz in the Hood, but you know what? Who cares? This film is actually pretty good and has a strong sense of humor to counterbalance it's more serious side. After a half an hour of snickering at some awkward scenes, I gradually began to get hooked, and by the time the powerful climax arrived, the director and the actors had won me over. Sure, the film isn't perfect and some scenes don't work, but rarely do Latinos get 30 million dollars to make their personal films, if given the chance to make films at all. Despite what some people have written about this film, the cinematography is excellent, and so are some of the actors like Jacob Vargas, and the guy who played Gramps is terrifying. The director did a great job with the few resources he had and his heart and passion are evident in every frame. One thing that bothers me, particularly from fellow Latinos, is that they're always ready to knock a film like this by calling it negative, or calling it "typical" or saying things like "not all latinos grew up in the hood". Fine. Make your own movie! If you don't like hood movies don't watch them, but don't knock a filmmaker for making a movie about something he cares about, just like I wouldn't knock Scorcese for making another "gangster picture", or the coen Brothers for making another "film noir" picture. Film is film, and if it's well done I'm ready to give it a shot, regardless of the subject matter.

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.

Any movie that can make me laugh, cry, and feel hope is a 10 in my book. This movie did all of that for me. Alfredo Ramos, the Writer/Director of this film will go far in the movie business. I also liked seeing the character, Lucy, stand up for what she believed was right for herself, in life and in her relationship. Crime doesn't pay, and growing up is difficult even under the best circumstances. The Character Danny, played by Jacob Vargas, turned into a man of substance thru the course of the movie. I think he is a good role model for adolescence everywhere