First film of 2015. Wow.
This movie comes off as very confused in what it’s striving to be. It’s like Spike Lee tried to merge standard filmmaking of the 2000s with 1970s exploitation and, as a result, the movie feels incredibly disjointed. I hate to say it, but I was let down. I’ve been there through and through giving Spike the benefit of the doubt as a filmmaker, but this, coupled with his recent remake of Oldboy, has me doubting his capabilities as a director at this point in his career.
The script feels like an unpolished early draft, some of the musical choices fail to mesh with scenes in which songs are played, and despite some good performances from Stephen Tyrone Williams and Zaraah Abrahams, the movie as a whole just doesn’t work.
I hate to start off 2015 this way, especially harshly critiquing a movie directed by one of my favorite filmmakers but I have no other choice.
*/****
Publication: January 4th, 2015