Crips & Bloods: Made In America (2009/Docurama DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Film: B
You hear
so much about gang violence and the quick mass media idea is to minimize said
gangs and say they are 100% at fault for everything bad they do and happens,
that they are out of control and if only they could stop, yet as much as
self-control is a vital issue, that is not the only one. What causes young men (and even women) to
join gangs to begin with? Is the sudden
rise of gang violence in the 1980s a coincidence or is something more going
on? Stacy Peralta’s Crips & Bloods: Made In America (2009) is a stunning, landmark
portrait of the two longest-running, most successful gangs ever and shows how
they came to be.
Narrated
with empathy by Forest Whitaker, we learn about the war between the two for
four decades running, how they only were formed when the auto companies ended
their factory production in Southern California and out of the rise and fall of
The Civil Rights Movement. Trapped in a
narrow stretch of neighborhoods surrounded by some of the most expensive real
estate with one of the most successful industries in human history (the U.S.
entertainment industry) and Los Angeles’ unique history, we slowly get a
portrait of how both organizations were formed and sustained.
We also
get to meet members old and new in what amounts to a character study of the
situation, how real solutions and progress have been abandoned as billions of
dollars are spent on prisons when they could be spent on new industries,
innovation, infrastructure and opportunity.
The only thing I could think of when it was all over is how happy I was
that Obama was president because this nightmare could finally see its course
changed. It is a combination of economic
abandonment, bad policies, outright racism and ideas that were obsolete on
arrival that should be retired for good.
No, this does not make any gang member a saint either, but when anyone
is kicked down and out for nowhere to go, this is what happens. Thanks to changes about racism in this
country, that is why a Black Panthers is no longer as possible as it once was. With more changes, these gangs could become
more history of the past than present, but it is going to take much work. But the system is partly responsible and that
must change.
This is a
must-see documentary worth everyone’s time.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is a mix of old and new footage, some on
film, some stills and various analog tape formats, well-edited. It may be inconsistent, but when it is this
effective, that does not matter. The
Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo mixes are about the same and just fine for a
documentary, with everything from new recordings to old monophonic archival
audio. Extras include interview segments
by Rappers Snoop Dogg and Lil’ Wayne, deleted scenes and a making of
featurette.
- Nicholas Sheffo
