The Barrio Murders

Jo Jo Henrickson's Barrio Murders is a well-written, well-directed film that contains some good acting performances. The premier was standing room only and the audience response was very positive. Enthralling story with a surprise ending that I didn't see coming. Definitely worth seeing.

Look, there in the barrio, it's La Chupacabra, it's OJ; no… it's the Barrio Murderer.

For a low-budget film, I enjoyed watching this film. I particulary enjoyed the performance of my buddy Ruben Garfias. If you enjoy watching movies about the barrio (whether on the East Coast or West Coast), I recommend you watch this movie. The end of the movie was a real eye-opener.

New Latino filmmakers such as Jojo are emerging and setting the pace and tone for the Latino cinema revolution of the new millennium.

Barrio Murders exemplifies this new art form with its clever plot that subtly touches upon Latino social issues while providing great entertainment. This murder mystery will keep you guessing all the way to the very end as you try to figure out who the real killer(s) really are. I don't want to give away the story so you must go out and buy/rent this movie.

I hope other filmmakers take notice of Jojo and become inspired to showcase their creative cinematic skills.

You would think that a movie with the title Barrio Murders would be some crappy gang movie. But when you watch it, it turns out to be a murder mystery with an unexpected twist and intriguing plot line. Henrickson's story is dark and funny. He plays with the audience's intellect and adds a touch of pop culture to make you think about how sick people can be. From a great cast to the ala "Sixth Sense" ending, this film makes one to watch.

As mentioned in other reviews, it has a great plot twist. Ruben Garfias is a brilliant actor, plain and simple. And Jojo Henrickson, who wrote, directed, edited, and had a secondary acting part, can evidently do it all. The only disappointment for me was that I was hoping and expecting to see the female lead in a topless scene, but for some reason it did not happen. But still, the story was engaging, the characters well-performed and written, and basically the whole think showed a lot of competence and care. Henrickson deals with racial tensions in a realistic and non-preachy way, without irritating me. He remembers, the point is story-telling and entertainment. Well done. Look for the two big talents in this film, (Garfias and Henrickson), to reunite in the futuristic sci-fi barrio thriller GB: 2525, now in post-production according to IMDb database.