Shottas
 Release Date: January 2, 2007 Tag Line: Friendship, loyalty, and greed. Description: Grammy-nominated reggae artist Kymani Marley and Jamaican dancehall star Spragga Benz star in director Cess Silvera's tale of two Kingston gangsters looking to make a name for themselves on the mean streets of Kingston. Homegrown gangers Biggs (Marley) and Wayne (Benz) have paid their dues, and now they've set their sights on a better life in Miami. After robbing a soda truck to gain the funds needed to make their way to the United States, their dreams quickly turn to dust when they are deported for hustling and sent back to Jamaica with nothing but the shirts on their backs. Biggs and Wayne aren't willing to kiss their ambitions goodbye quite so easily, though, and thanks to a little compliance from the Kingston politicians, the pair soon begins extorting money from area businesses. The heavies in the Kingston underworld start to resent the pair's wildfire success, and as the pressure mounts to end the rising tide of crime, a local politician pays the ultimate price to arrange for the visas that will get Biggs and Wayne back to Florida. Upon returning to the states, the now-powerful duo finds that there’s a high price to pay for power in a world where trust equals death and success simply means having more enemies. Running time: 95 minutes Rating: R Scoop ReviewPlot This is your basic gangster movie plot, only with a Jamaican twist. It really doesn’t matter what nationality you are—Jamaican, Latin (Scarface Acting: EI was impressed with the acting, although I have to warn you that the Jamaican accents are extremely thick throughout the film. So thick, in fact, that subtitles are provided in instances where it might be difficult to understand what the person is saying—which is most of the time. That’s okay, though, because it adds a layer of realism to the movie. Special Effects: Plenty of brutal killings to keep your primal instincts on edge. This is, after all, a gangster movie. Ridiculous Dialogue Sample:
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The Straight Scoop: A rather intriguing look at Jamaican gangster life, both in that country and in the United States. You’ll find yourself rooting for Biggs and Wayne, and then you’ll stop and think, “Wait a minute, I can’t root for them. They’re criminals, murderers, and thieves.” That’s a credit to the film. It takes you comfortably inside the lives of the gangsters, so much so that you connect with them on some base level—presumably where greed, avarice, jealousy, and illicit desires reside. Recommendation: If you like gangster flicks, go ahead and pick this one up. You probably won’t be disappointed (if you can deal with the accents, that is). If you can’t, that means you’re probably a lousy DEPORTEE! Quality Rating: Four scoops Riff Rating: One and and half scoops Reviewer: Matt Deutsch
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), or Italian (
), the gangster life offers pretty much the same set of pitfalls and rewards. On the one hand, you have unlimited earning potential and a flexible working schedule. On the other hand, anybody at anytime, regardless of the situation or circumstances, might kill you. Hey, no job is perfect.
