I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this movie wasn't it. After a very confusing introduction to the main characters, you soon learn that a mysterious ghetto stranger is going to teach some kids what's right and what's wrong through a story about what might happen if they make bad decisions. There are other movies that dwell at length on the theme of bearing the responsibilities of the decisions one makes, but this film instead tries to emulate "Tales From the Hood" (i.e., people who make bad decisions that hurt other people will die horrible, if appropriate, deaths). The only difference is that there are no supernatural forces in this film.
By itself, this isn't a bad thing, but the execution is pretty sloppy here. The acting is mostly amateurish (though Corey Haim and Vitale really ham it up and make watching them at least worthwhile). The sound is highly variable and I had to keep turning up the volume in parts to understand the dialogue. And it may be a low-budget film, but they apparently got a bulk rate on squibs.
Back to the "bad decisions thing"....one of the major problems I had with this film is that it isn't a case of making a few bad decisions. No, the characters are (basically) bad people. With the exception of Haim's new partner, I didn't like them or the way they behaved. I didn't care about them or what happened to them. Really. Zero sympathy. They had made many bad decisions over the courses of their lives. The total lack of sympathy is fatal in a film like this.
I would avoid this film.
By itself, this isn't a bad thing, but the execution is pretty sloppy here. The acting is mostly amateurish (though Corey Haim and Vitale really ham it up and make watching them at least worthwhile). The sound is highly variable and I had to keep turning up the volume in parts to understand the dialogue. And it may be a low-budget film, but they apparently got a bulk rate on squibs.
Back to the "bad decisions thing"....one of the major problems I had with this film is that it isn't a case of making a few bad decisions. No, the characters are (basically) bad people. With the exception of Haim's new partner, I didn't like them or the way they behaved. I didn't care about them or what happened to them. Really. Zero sympathy. They had made many bad decisions over the courses of their lives. The total lack of sympathy is fatal in a film like this.
I would avoid this film.