Splinter

I rarely comment on here about films I have seen, although I do tend to give them a vote.

This one made me make a comment, its an unusual film, I won't go into specifics, but when you watch it you will see what I mean. Its not the usual Hollywood blockbuster, and that's what makes it great.

Watch it and it will no doubt make you question a few things in your own life. Any film that makes you do that, is certain to be a great film.

Its a great shame I didn't watch this earlier!

Just watch it.....

so, i've seen this at a preview screening. here's my commentary: i don't know how many people go to blockbuster, but i'm sure anyone who has, regularly, has noticed over the years, a slew of low-budget "gang" films. well, those movies hitting the shelves, seem to only bring to the viewer the basic, generic love affair, doubled with an attempt (a poor one) at the "tough feel" better captured by classics like "american me", and "south central". well, after actually renting a few of those, i'd say they were more than a let down, they were HORRIBLE. but then again, they WERE low-budget. i can go on about these titles, bad acting, bad editing, etc. and rarely, anything new brought to the table.

with splinter, it seems (finally) someone decided to actually jump off the cheap bandwagon, and make more than just another "urban"/mi vida loca/boyz in the hood b-flick. the best way i've heard it described is "memento" meets a modern "blood in/blood out". sizemore fits his character so well, you forget he's not really a messed up cop. ed olmos' deadpan look and stern dialogue also do great in the story. the main "gangsters" themselves, especially "dreamer", also do a good job, portraying these characters as more than just average street criminals, but people with messed up lives.

anyways, i definitely recommend this if you want to see a "gang life" movie with some good twists and turns, along with numerous scenes of gratuitous violence. this is one i wouldn't be surprised HBO picking up.

Splinter tells the story of Paradise Gardens and Greenville rival gangs in the setting of a rough part of Los Angeles. A cheating girlfriend ignites violence between the two gangs. There was a heavy emphasis on the cheating girlfriend. One could easily expect to see passion burn up the screen. Instead the sexy love scenes in this film could be described as an after school special romance. It did not fit with the overall gangster style that is down and dirty.

Veteran actor Tom Sizemore as corrupt Detective Cunningham lit up every scene he was in. Great to see the man back in films instead of the now canceled reality TV show "Shooting Sizemore". He gave a strong performance in this one. The kind of shady Detective that is more gangster than cop. Another stand out performance was Enrique Almeida who played Dreamer. Keep an eye out for this actor.

The main reason I did not give this one a higher score was because the worst lines I've experienced in a film happened. The corrupt cop played by Tom Sizemore forces the viewer to listen to a long and painfully bad speech about how gang war is like Chinese food take out. Using Orange Chicken, Beef Broccoli, and rice to make his point. It was awful. The rest of the writing in the film was good and then this scene happens. I was watching the film with a group of friends and it was agreed that might have been one of the worst scenes we've ever watched. Splinter it a hit and miss. It has an interesting plot that might keep most viewers tuned in.

I liked this movie considering it was about gangs. Usually I cannot stand these types of movies however I found this tolerable. What I could not stand is the main female actress. She was supposed to be a hard a** personality but would break down crying over things that seemed to be not so important. The movie did not develop her character too well and yet a lot hinged on her.

The male characters were good, but not great. It was typical of the gang movie style. I am not sure why this movie caught my attention though, usually I would loose interest fast and stop watching.

There is something i liked and respected in this movie. I am not sure what is was but I will say this is a movie I probably would not watch a second time.

An hour into this movie, and I thought "okay, enough now; this is as much as I can take of this crap." I haven't seen the ending, and I really don't care.

This inept piece of garbage would have even Ed Wood splitting heirs over its numerous flaws. Olmos, who is I assume either the son or nephew of that other Olmos - the one that played in "Blade Runner" - made this amateurish junk, proving for the umpteenth time that nepotism doesn't work. Not in movies, not anywhere. Movie-making is not DNA-based.

Awful acting, phony-sounding "ghetto dialogue", muddled editing, an ugly look, and a dull plot. What more can one want?