User reviews

This movie is an either or deal, you like it or you don't.

Most people will agree that this movie is clichéd, but one when this situations stop happening over and over then people will stop making movies about them. I have to admit that even though the characters are stereotypes Jacob Vargas did a good job portraying the emotional parts. The director did a very nice job, taking in consideration that this is his first time directing a "real" film, and of course, keeping in mind the $250,000 budget they counted on.

As for as independent films go this one really got to me because it accurately depicts a big part of the harshness I saw everyday when I lived in the barrio.

Overall this is not the best barrio movie, but if you have the chance to see it don't hesitate, you might find more than you expected.

While browsing T.V. late at night, I came across "Road Dogz", a film which I passed off as a typical "homies" movies. But, I was very surprised when I watched it and became very interested in it. Maybe it's because I can relate, and because I've grown up around these things that I found the film to be so intriguing. Or maybe it's because I consider Clifton Collins Jr. to be a great actor. No matter what the reason I thought this film was well written and executed, especially to be on a such a low budget. The actors were great, and so was the story. To sum it up, I thought that "Road Dogz" was a great movie and one of which I would be more than happy to go out and add to my collection of movies.

Face it, BITH is actually a piece of crap with central characters who are vicious feral children who refuse to grow up. The acting was atrocious, the directing was lame and despite a big budget, it never had the heart that this little indie film has.

Road Dogz isn't a gangster film, it's a barrio film. The central characters are three teens on the verge of becoming men, while even the grown men in BITH are whiners. This is the better film by far.

I'm writing this review mainly because I feel that the comparisons with BITH are insulting. From the evocative opening song By Los Lobos, "This Time", all the way through the whole story, Road Dogz is real and and is no "wannabe" copy of BITH. Why should anyone want to copy BITH, anyway?

All low budget indie films should be this good.

I read some other comments and can't understand why some people didn't like this film. The problem is someone who's never made a film doesn't know what it takes to make a film for very little money. I've done it twice. I thought this film was very good. It made me laugh, cry and think, which is what every film is supposed to do. Great job directing and well acted. Some of the comments said the film had bad acting. Those people obviously don't know what good acting is.

I saw a comparison to Boyz N the Hood, some saying Road Dogz is better, others just putting it in the same coming-of-age 'hood category. I understand that, enjoying such genres (whatever that would be) and can easily compare some of the questionable acting in both films, laughable even when they're being serious. But there are serious scenes to relate to, as well as humorous ones. The boys telling Alfonse to be a man and throw girlfriend Chespi to the curb, only to go to the ollowing scene after he decides to marry her, and hear the boys telling Alfonse that they always said he needed a good girl like Chespi, and it's good Alfonse listened to them. Of the four fellas, Joe's return to the streets as an OG to guide the other three is a compelling story. Danny's struggle to not feel abandoned, to transition from a boy to a man with a woman worth doing it with, is the most intriguing aspect of the film. Raymo's thug life and hustling is an understandable facet of the street ode but it had moments of disconnect in its telling. Alfonse was the least likable, as they wrote him as obnoxiously horny, as if he might be closeted or was gonna catch that three letter virus. I'm glad they went with his angle in the end, even if it's got a ring of settling and depression to it. Free Big Joe. Not always a banger, but in the end, it rings true.

Bad directing. Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad editing. Bad sound. I felt nothing for any of these characters and could care less. This film is a "Boyz in the Hood" wanna be, but never achieved the heart and strength for any of the characters and stories. Much less the cinematic achievement, with the typical Latino stories that have been told and told again. Not all Latinos grew up in the 'hood'. Characters such as Torneo and Abuelito should just have been edited out completely. And obviously, with the character of Alfonso, not much casting choices were seen for this actor. The only thing that made me cry in this film was the waste of time I spent watching it.

This is similar to a lot of the other movies out there, yet i still found it enjoyable. Its about 3 young men dealing with their lives in the ghetto. One a sex-craving addict deals with relationships when he meets a certain female character. The other, a wise talking kid who falls into the wrong hands when he starts doing drug deals. Then the main character who tries to make a decent living, in a dump of a neighborhood. The movie had all around good scenes, and some very good words of wisdom. Although, i feel the ending was similar to a lot of the "gangster" type movies. Other than that, i felt it was a good movie to watch on a Friday night when you have nothing better to do. I gave it an 8/10.

A good story and fine direction combine to make for a very worthwhile indie that should make it to wide distribution. Powerful performances by Jacob Vargas and Emilio Rivera, as well as other notably strong roles, bring the audience into the film with the characters to intimately feel their experiences. Deep insight into the plight of young adults trying to develop themselves in the midst of negative influences and vivid depiction of the fragility of their life styles.

I dont know why so many people on this site knock this film, though some aspects were seen in other hood movies. but who cares? its the quality of movie that counts and this one was, to me, an al-list. i thought Raymo was interesting with his dilemas, Alfonso funny with his hillarious perversity, and Gramps scary with his protrayal of the drug dealer. It helps if you see past the negative aspects of the movie and focus on the good ones, than you'd enjoy it, just lay back and relax then take it like a man!

Any movie that can make me laugh, cry, and feel hope is a 10 in my book. This movie did all of that for me. Alfredo Ramos, the Writer/Director of this film will go far in the movie business. I also liked seeing the character, Lucy, stand up for what she believed was right for herself, in life and in her relationship. Crime doesn't pay, and growing up is difficult even under the best circumstances. The Character Danny, played by Jacob Vargas, turned into a man of substance thru the course of the movie. I think he is a good role model for adolescence everywhere

I've seen many Latino-themed movies but not many that has the heart and soul of Road Dogz. I can't believe this film did not have a theatrical release, it's better than most "B" hood movies that are out there. This movie seems to be one of those films that never received its proper(and deserving) recognition. Road Dogz seems to be a film that is so under the radar that not too many people know about it. I just discovered it and I'm glad I did. It's powerful film-making! The acting, writing, and directing are very good and it feels REAL- you believe that this is a legitimate Chicano Experience, a true slice of life. I would like to see what writer-director Alfredo Ramos does next. Do yourself a favor and watch this film, you won't be sorry.

I could hear the pitch: "It's Boyz 'N The Hood meets Blood In, Blood Out, with a sprinkle of Saturday Night Fever thrown in for good measure with a vision by Spike Lee if he was Mexican-American instead of an African-American." But despite my cynicism, of the three Hispanic-themed in-the-hood movies I have seen in the last two weeks, this is the most professional production with a nice 35mm print and director of photography who knew what he was doing behind the camera. This was not an amateurish, half-ass attempt as I have seen till now that plagues this genre. But what I do agree with the reviews here is that this is not really an original screenplay. Yes, we have seen this storyline in many other movies such as those that I have cited earlier, but for some reason, I liked it more than I thought I would. I felt ALL the actors did a good and believable job. The three main characters are likeable in their confused, on-the-cusp of adulthood identities, though some of the scenes were repetitive between them. What I felt lacking though were the depth of the female characters. They had a breezy presence which could have added to the story if used correctly. (General question here: In movies, why can't Hispanic males wanna go to college and better themselves? Why is it that only Latinas have this ambition?) I did notice something which I felt added to the overall story arch sublimally: everyone seen onscreen was a Mexican or Mexican-American. I hope film producers will make more of this homogenous society in East L.A. I imagine there are so many stories out there as long as they do not fall into the trap of ethnic stereotyping or cliches, even if the makers are Hispanic themselves.

Another awesome movie in my book. I found the movie of great intensity. This movie kept my attention the whole time. It really depicts what young teens go through juggling home life and life with their peers. Low budget but put together nicely. I was not disappointed. The location was very realistic and added much to the movie. I have seen movies with music that just didn't fit the movie. The music was right on point. I always love to see my buddies Emilio Rivera and Lobo Sebastian do what they do. All of the actors did a fine job. Definitely a tear jerker. I will be looking to add this to my collection. I highly recommend it. ;-'DLove<3 aka ~HarleyD<3

The list of problems I had with this film is long, and I agree with many of the comments I've read and heard about the film, that it's unoriginal and a knock-off of Boyz in the Hood, but you know what? Who cares? This film is actually pretty good and has a strong sense of humor to counterbalance it's more serious side. After a half an hour of snickering at some awkward scenes, I gradually began to get hooked, and by the time the powerful climax arrived, the director and the actors had won me over. Sure, the film isn't perfect and some scenes don't work, but rarely do Latinos get 30 million dollars to make their personal films, if given the chance to make films at all. Despite what some people have written about this film, the cinematography is excellent, and so are some of the actors like Jacob Vargas, and the guy who played Gramps is terrifying. The director did a great job with the few resources he had and his heart and passion are evident in every frame. One thing that bothers me, particularly from fellow Latinos, is that they're always ready to knock a film like this by calling it negative, or calling it "typical" or saying things like "not all latinos grew up in the hood". Fine. Make your own movie! If you don't like hood movies don't watch them, but don't knock a filmmaker for making a movie about something he cares about, just like I wouldn't knock Scorcese for making another "gangster picture", or the coen Brothers for making another "film noir" picture. Film is film, and if it's well done I'm ready to give it a shot, regardless of the subject matter.