Plot
When their latest work is buffed by a rival crew, two determined graffiti writers embark on an elaborate plan to bomb the ultimate location: the New York Mets' Home Run Apple.
Release Year: 2012
Rating: 6.7/10 (217 voted)
Director:Adam Leon
Storyline
When a rival gang buffs Malcolm and Sofia's latest graffiti masterpiece with a replica of the NY Mets home-run apple, they're determined to get spectacular revenge - by tagging the real Mets' apple. Over the course of a whirlwind two-day heat wave, these tough teens from the Bronx must hustle, scramble, and steal to execute the scheme that will make them the most famous writers in New York.
Filming Locations: Cornell's True Value Hardware, Eastchester, New York, USA
Technical Specs
Runtime:
User Review
A Very Foreign Film... Set in New York!
Rating: 8/10
When most people think of foreign film, they think of films in a
language they don't understand, locations they've never been to, actors
they've never heard of, and stories unique to a specific culture. We
often fail to acknowledge that there are places and cultures within our
own borders that can be just as foreign to us as any Asian or European
community.
"Gimme the Loot," which is playing at the San Francisco International
Film Festival, is just such a film. Set in New York City's Borough of
the Bronx (talk about a foreign land!) the film tells the story of
Malcolm and Sofia, a "tagging team" that set their sights on the
greatest "bombing" target in the history of New York graffiti. All they
need is $500 to get access to the sight. And so the adventure begins
And that is just what this film really is an urban adventure story.
The story of two young people who set out on a trek and what happens to
them along the way. If you're put off by the setting, or the language
(which seems to have been scripted by David Mamet in the opening
scene,) or the "Maguffin" of the graffiti bomb, please don't be. All
those things are ancillary in this tale of the challenges in navigating
the foreign land of inner city New York and what happens along the way.
It's a funny, harsh, sweet, heartbreaking and oddly (though not
unexpectedly) optimistic movie. For all the wrongdoing the couple
perpetrate in their attempt to achieve their goal, you end up really
liking the characters and kind of wishing they succeed.
The two lead actors, Ty Hickson and Tashiana Washington, are terrific
in their roles. While their inexperience shows through at times, for
the most part they ARE Malcolm and Sophia. The director, Adam Leon,
assured the Festival audience that they are both nothing like their
characters ("Ty actually wears bow ties all the time.")
Leon also had the advantage of having a former NYC tour guide work as
his location scout, so the film transports you into parts of New York
that you'd never get to see get to see on your standard city excursion.
Shot on location over 21 days, every setting seems just right for this
story.
Special note should also be given to the soundtrack, which is
absolutely what you would NOT expect for a story with characters of
their age and environment. One would expect a plethora of hip hop or
rap pulsing throughout the film, but be prepared for something just a
little different.
This is writer/director Leon's first feature and he's manages to
deliver a film that, while small in budget, is big in heart. Well worth
seeking out
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