directed by:
Joey Medina written by: Joey Medina genre: Drama |
What's a man to do when life throws you a knockout punch, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it? It's a premise that has been used often within the film industry and, quite frankly, never grows old. The adage of sucking it up comes to mind, but in the case of Chad, one of the two leads in this film, the sucking it up option doesn't really work. You see, reader, he's been given the news that he doesn't have much longer to live and with a family and new baby on the way - he needs to make sure they're cared for by any means necessary.
At this point, you may be asking what could be so bad? The answer is cancer. Chad has cancer and has a very short time to live. Unfortunately, his insurance won't pay for this kind of claim, and now, with nobody knowing his condition, he must figure something out. Chad's answer? To be murdered in some god-forsaken ally. "Beautiful Violence" opens with Chad patrolling the streets looking for the perfect scapegoat and soon finds a drug dealer named Carlos. Now all he needs to do is bait Carlos's into attacking, which he succeeds at doing. Only things don't go quite as planned, and the two men begin a conversation that sheds light on the lives of both men. This film is not what you think - and I loved every minute of it. First and foremost, "Beautiful Violence" looks and sounds pretty great for a low-budget indie flick. It's kept simple and to the point - and offers up no gimmicks that would interfere with the great story being told. The acting is top-notch, and I found that in around ten short minutes, I actually cared for these two men. I didn't want anything bad to further happen to either individual but knew deep down inside that this film could only end in one way - and it did. I firmly believe that any other kind of ending wouldn't have done this short flick justice and applaud writer-director Joey Medina for sticking to his guns and ending this film the way he did.
However, with all that written, this film is a very dialog-heavy film, and viewers should settle in for some deep conversation. Thankfully, as I wrote above, the acting is stellar, and "Beautiful Violence" has no problem holding my attention. Although perhaps slightly longer than it needed to be, the casual viewer should hardly notice, and "Beautiful Violence" was a great way to spend a few short minutes of my day. So there you have it. Joey Medina and his small troupe have not only accomplished their goal of good old-fashioned entertainment done well, but they've also exceeded it - as far as I'm concerned. "Beautiful Violence" is a fresh take on an old premise that, simply put - worked beautifully. An easy four out of five stars. Well done. |
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