Some frustrated actor friends of mine remade this film and cast me as the role of “Wanda”. After I’d done my scenes, I watched the movie: Very interesting when you’re young about what’s glamourous and what “makes a man”. They were all about hypermasculinity, but when it came to the other third of the movie, it punched you in the gut. Some things can’t be undone. Even in a movie, you remember that this is a true story. Gut-churners like this one can stick to your brain cells for a long time. I don’t know if I’d recommend this movie or who I think would like it, but I’m still glad I saw it. Justin Timberlake surprises you with every venture he takes on, and I expected little of him in this. He did good.

I remember the previews in the theatres and wanted to see it there, but it was in Seattle for like two days or something. So I was at Best Buy last week and picked it up. For some reason white gang banger pot head movies have a special place in my collection (American History X, Fast times at Ridgemont High, Detroit Rock City, Dazed and Confused, etc.) The intro credit sceens try to convince you these are just neighborhood kids playing cowboys and indians like veryone else. Then you get dropped into the reality of small time drug dealer and his possee and rivals. While that stuff is interesting (especially all the tatoos), the most interesting part of the story is the second part in the relationship between the “stolen boy” and his captors. The drug dealer kidnaps the brother of a guy who owes him $50K and holds him for ransom. But not tied to a chair and tortured as you have seen before. The “Stolen Boy” is broght along to all the parties, he is very much ok with it saying “I don’t want to cause my brother any more trouble”. Stolen boy makes friends with his captors, gets laid, high and has a good time. That makes what the captors have to do in the end all that much harder. There is real drama and soul searching, not expected in a gang banger movie. Very enjoyable. I rate this 4 of 5 stars.

The first half of this movie I found almost unbearable. The loud bravado of a bunch of suburban boys playing gangster. I did not know if I could get through it but as the movie progressed and the kids were split up their characters started to develop and it got much better. Justin Timberlake in particular I really hated at the beginning but I almost completely forgot about how obnoxious he was when he was on his own with the kid.
Some of it was completely ridiculous, it’s a fine line between portraying this true story and glorifying this lifestyle. But people will see what they want to see in this movie. In my opinion one scene of impotency isn’t enough to show the facade of this life, his hypermasculinity to cover for his insecurities, his own inabilities sexually, and the causes of the violence in his life.