Thug Life (2001)

Starring:

• Thomas Miles
• Gregory O.
• Stewart, Napolean

IMDB.com
A young man trying to grow up straight in a crime-ridden neighborhood finds himself on the run after a friend accidentally lures him into a trap in this hard-edged urban drama. Boo (Thomas Miles) grew up in a rough section of Houston, TX, where many see crime as their only way out. Boo is determined to leave the street life behind and build an honest career for himself as a plumber, but his longtime friend Mecca (Gregory O. Stewart) talks Boo into helping him out as he tries to sell a stolen vehicle. Things don't go as planned, and when shots ring out, Boo and Mecca discover they've been framed for the murder of a gang leader and have to get out of Houston at once if they are to stand any chance of surviving the night. Thug Life also features noted hip-hop and reggae artists Vybz Kartel, Willie D., The Lady of Rage, and Napoleon.

When looking back, I start to realize how good this movie was. When I first started watching this movie, it came to the scene when Boo was fighting the four guys in the street and did an awesome array of kung fu moves that closely resembled Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. His fighting style was excellent, you can see that Boo the character is a sixth degree black belt, from his laser sharp punches, to his lighting fast kicks that could knock out a full grown hyena, not to forget his super human jumping ability from the help of a trampoline! The plot was a little hard at first because I got lost from time to time, but the acting and the fighting scenes pulled me back into it. I loved the gun scene when they killed the leaders brother, which by the way, the gun had no trigger and the knife seemed not to cut the throat of the victim. The sound and picture of the movie was not that great but why criticize when you can point out the positive aspects, like the way Mecca did an unbelievable kick to the kingpin leader. Sometimes I couldn't hear the people talking and sometimes that camera angles were positioned weird but again don't make fun just go with the punches like Boo!Again, the movie was not that great but I do recommend this movie to everyone to watch

Shottas (2002)

Starring:

• Ky-Mani Marley
• Spragga Benz
• Louie Rankin

IMDB.com
This movie is about crime connected to selling drugs and extortion, hence the title. The crimes which start off in Jamaica then move to USA.

If you like shoot em ups then this will appeal to you and to be real you shouldn't be watching if you don't i suppose that's why it is called shottas. It basically follows the fortunes of two young men who grow up as close as brothers. They are the original shottas two youths who grow in the ghetto and use ghetto mentality to get them out. They go to America and ive a good life for a while until all the bad deeds in their past consume them.

On the whole the film is very entertaining and to some degree real( however the last time i was in Kingston i saw a father beat hs son for playing guns) it highlights not only the poorness of Jamaican people but also the political entities that keep them poor and how these entities use the so called bad men of yard to put them in power.

Kymani and Spragga's acting is a very good effort and if the opportunity arises for them to continue they will no doubt become very good at it, i am not too sure who wrote the dialogue but it is very real and it shows "wayne" to have a wicked sense of humor.

Oh and watch out for Max and the sick mentality he has which is another way of projecting the futility and destruction caused by the greed to be the richest and baddest man.

Murda Muzik (2004)

Starring:

• Big Noyd
• Havoc
• Prodigy

IMDB.com
This movie is the story of Fresh (Big Noyd), a street kid with connections inside the music industry. When his friend (G.O.D. III of Infamous Mobb) comes home from jail with musical aspirations instead of returning to the life of crime, Fresh must choose between lyrics and larceny...With the help of mutual friends and Queensbridge neighbors, Mobb Deep, who play themselves, they seem to have a path laid for them in the music industry that will get them off the streets for good. But Fresh finds that walking away from the streets is not that simple....A very decent straight to video release, Mobb Deep only appear in spurts, as Prodigy produced and wrote the screenplay. Director Lawrence Page has a hilarious cameo as a rival drug dealer.