Hurricane Streets
2/4
Starring: Brendan Sexton III, Isidra Vega, Lynn Cohen, David Roland Frank, Antoine McLean, Mtume Gant, Carlo Alban, Shawn Elliot
Rated R for Language, Violence and Drug Use involving Teens
Occasionally, the efforts of an actor or actress can save an unremarkable screenplay and pedestrian direction. There are plenty of instances, although for the life of me I can't think of any examples off the top of my head. Sadly, "Hurricane Streets" is not one of those instances. Despite the best efforts of its cast, specifically the lead actor, there are better ways to spend 90 minutes of your time.
Marcus (Sexton III) is a young toughie living on the streets of New York City. With his father dead and his mother in jail, he's essentially on his own. He and his friends use petty crime (i.e. shoplifting and selling the loot) to get by, but he dreams of living with relatives on a ranch in New Mexico. Then he meets Melena (Vega), a girl who also dreams of getting out of the Big Apple and away from her overprotective father, Paco (Elliot).
The film's central character is Marcus, and because he's present in almost every scene, the film rests almost entirely on his shoulders. Brendan Sexton III, who would go on to become a decent character actor in the indie film scene (he was Tom Nissen in "Boys Don't Cry"), is very good. He elevates the material to a degree where I could see that without him, the film would be unwatchable.
Marcus is not a bad kid per se. He's a smart guy who just got dealt a bad hand by life, and is surviving in the only way he knows how. There is an element of rebellion in many of his actions, and while stealing CDs and selling them to kids is okay by him, there's a line that he won't cross. Unfortunately, his friends (especially Chip, played with a dash of anger by David Roland Frank) don't have those standards.
While Sexton is very good, his co-star Isidra Vega is almost his equal. She doesn't have as much screen presence and appeal as Sexton, but there's not enough of a gulf between them to hamper the effectiveness of their relationship. The two have chemistry, and their interactions are effectively written.
The dialogue and the acting sound natural. Director Morgan J. Freeman (not to be confused with the legendary actor) knows this world and how these kids talk and act. Unfortunately, that's only half the battle. Character development is spotty; they're all stick figures. Even more so, Freeman seems to lack the courage to take the film to the dark depths that it needs to go to in order to attain maximum effectiveness. There are times, specifically during the film's final act, where it's obvious that he's holding back.
The ending is the film's biggest problem. The climax is ineptly handled to the point where I didn't know if I was supposed to laugh. It's badly directed. The home stretch is better and contains some suspense, but with stronger writing it would have been more successful.
This isn't a terrible movie by any means, but I wouldn't recommend seeking it out.
Starring: Brendan Sexton III, Isidra Vega, Lynn Cohen, David Roland Frank, Antoine McLean, Mtume Gant, Carlo Alban, Shawn Elliot
Rated R for Language, Violence and Drug Use involving Teens
Occasionally, the efforts of an actor or actress can save an unremarkable screenplay and pedestrian direction. There are plenty of instances, although for the life of me I can't think of any examples off the top of my head. Sadly, "Hurricane Streets" is not one of those instances. Despite the best efforts of its cast, specifically the lead actor, there are better ways to spend 90 minutes of your time.
Marcus (Sexton III) is a young toughie living on the streets of New York City. With his father dead and his mother in jail, he's essentially on his own. He and his friends use petty crime (i.e. shoplifting and selling the loot) to get by, but he dreams of living with relatives on a ranch in New Mexico. Then he meets Melena (Vega), a girl who also dreams of getting out of the Big Apple and away from her overprotective father, Paco (Elliot).
The film's central character is Marcus, and because he's present in almost every scene, the film rests almost entirely on his shoulders. Brendan Sexton III, who would go on to become a decent character actor in the indie film scene (he was Tom Nissen in "Boys Don't Cry"), is very good. He elevates the material to a degree where I could see that without him, the film would be unwatchable.
Marcus is not a bad kid per se. He's a smart guy who just got dealt a bad hand by life, and is surviving in the only way he knows how. There is an element of rebellion in many of his actions, and while stealing CDs and selling them to kids is okay by him, there's a line that he won't cross. Unfortunately, his friends (especially Chip, played with a dash of anger by David Roland Frank) don't have those standards.
While Sexton is very good, his co-star Isidra Vega is almost his equal. She doesn't have as much screen presence and appeal as Sexton, but there's not enough of a gulf between them to hamper the effectiveness of their relationship. The two have chemistry, and their interactions are effectively written.
The dialogue and the acting sound natural. Director Morgan J. Freeman (not to be confused with the legendary actor) knows this world and how these kids talk and act. Unfortunately, that's only half the battle. Character development is spotty; they're all stick figures. Even more so, Freeman seems to lack the courage to take the film to the dark depths that it needs to go to in order to attain maximum effectiveness. There are times, specifically during the film's final act, where it's obvious that he's holding back.
The ending is the film's biggest problem. The climax is ineptly handled to the point where I didn't know if I was supposed to laugh. It's badly directed. The home stretch is better and contains some suspense, but with stronger writing it would have been more successful.
This isn't a terrible movie by any means, but I wouldn't recommend seeking it out.
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