AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

EitoMan The Good: This was an informative, compellingly structured documentary on the genesis and evolution of LA gangs. The story is told via an oral history by first generation gang members and then proceeds to unfold with more contemporary members (and ex-members). The film contains a high degree of advocacy (especially in the final 30 minutes) that seems reasonable.The Not so Good: The director clearly lays the blame for gangs and gang violence on Caucasians. Although there is no disputing that institutionalized racism of slavery on up to the end of segregation definitely created gross economic and social injustices, the director fails to make a compelling case that whites directly caused inner city blacks to wage war on each other for decades. The director touches on some of the more salient factors, such as factory jobs (i.e. unskilled labor) opportunities disappearing, but fails to identify that as a root cause. Instead, we are presented with numerous examples of institutional and individual racism--including conspiracy theories involving Iran-Contra, J. Edgar Hoover, LAPD, et.al. Nowhere within this otherwise excellent documentary does the director touch on individual responsibility, personal morals, etc. Gang members (including murderers) are presented as victims of society. The director focuses much attention on the Black Panther and US movement of the 60s and 70s however this narrative is presented mostly to advance a conspiracy theory of how the FBI sought to destroy the groups, ultimately resulting in a lack of political power and community disarray. He goes on to try and blame the influx of drugs into the community as an orchestrated effort by Washington to fund the Contras.This film is good and worth a viewing. It provides an interesting insight into the evolution of LA gangs as well as how some African Americans perceive history. Unfortunately the director focuses too much time on trying to shift blame away from the violent trigger-pullers who admittedly were, and are, his friends. He is trying to shape history in a way that absolves his community of responsibility for the violence in order to empower them to find a way out of that lifestyle. This film presents that case well (although not compelling to me); hopefully it will help the next generation steer clear of joining gangs.

jdanielwilliams As a young man who was born and raised in Los Angeles - "bourgie" but close enough to gang culture to understand the nuances of daily life for gangbangers - I can say with confidence that this was an incredible look into a culture that many people know of but don't really know much about.Gang culture is the result of early, quite innocent militarism for the purposes of self-defense allowed to go completely astray. This film gives an inside look into the history and development of the violence gang culture of Los Angeles, a Roman-style tangle of syndicalism and family ties, full of the good-ole Southern ignorance, self-righteousness and hypocrisy.Some commenters considered the left-wing editorialising that goes on throughout the film to weaken it's credentials as an authentic documentary, but I do not agree. The leftism of the historians used as sources of information in the film are coincidental to the informative value that those historians provide. It can be overlooked, and should be, as director Cle Sloan himself admits that he is not as smitten with the gang culture as he is expected to be.The film also places the seemingly unrelated Black Power Movement in the proper context and providing the inspirational link between this Movement and the gangbanging culture. It is fascinating to ponder, and provides a great lesson on human nature and human frailty, especially the frailty of young men who grow up in communities where the grown men of wisdom are systematically removed.Home video footage of gangster funerals, cruising, and sign language was riveting to watch.The overall product I think is satisfyingly dispassionate and non-judgemental until the very end, I think. Cle Sloan admits that gangs contribute to the destruction of these communities and need to change. That is the true value of this fantastic film, I believe: it humanizes the gang culture and helps the viewer understand the psycho-spiritual conditions that lead to the kind of violence that the Bloods and Crips practice on a regular basis. Cle Sloan believes the gangs can be changed for good, and, as I tend to agree. The Bloods and Crips do not just consist of "niggas with attitudes" - they are lost men who need direction and self-respect.Highly recommended.

Vinnie Kmetz I was truly gripped by Bastards of The Party as it aired on HBO yesterday evening (2/25/07) and I recommend it highly to those seeking substantive cultural information on the modern history of gangs, inner-city black life, the history of modern los angeles or the role of government and police in all three venues.The greatest thing that can be said about this film from me is that it brought me one or two degrees closer to a non-pejorative, non-dismissive and non-judgemental understanding of a pocket of human life that I would - in fear and racial difference - never want to understand.Even though myself and 190 million other white Americans may never be tainted with the cruelty and death that has gone on in Los Angeles, this film instructs us that the basic concept of American "justice for all" has gone mad here. And perhaps begin to reveal light about how it's gone mad in the overall....certainly at odds with all the nice inscriptions and beatific monuments found in Washington DC.Time does not allow me to categorize some artistic nuances missed (perhaps a follow up later here) but this is a good cinematic jumping-off point for further consideration of the issue.

Shelia Johnson This documentary was excellent and added a new, complex visual interpretation of a very old story - gang violence in L.A.The documentary was historically correct adding insight to the creation of L.A. gangs and the positive movement they grew out of, hence the title. From the description of the first decade, the documentary artistically and accurately illustrates the complexities of an additional 4 decades of gang violence incorporating the historical, political, sociological, environmental, economical, and personal factors amazingly well giving it all equal time in such a relevant, meaningful way. As a result, you get drawn into this tragic, sub-cultural story.In reality, most of this history is captured orally and typically held within the African-American community. The director/narrator, Cle Shaheed Sloan, did an excellent job at capturing these stories and placing them in this factual, visual format.One of the most captivating parts of the piece were the solutions that these current and ex-bangers shared with Cle near the end of the documentary. The solutions shared were simple yet extremely thoughtful. One solution was don't allow your children to be labeled with your gang name, i.e. if your gang name is Killa, don't label your son Li'l Killa. You want to give him a chance to grow up with his given name, i.e. Anthony Perkins, which would take him out of the box of his father's gansta lifestyle and the pressure of having to live up to that image/lifestyle. It seems so simple, but it does indeed effect so much.It is a fact that significant human behavioral change only occurs when humans experience tragic, life altering events. This fact is captured perfectly in this documentary. Bangers operate in the business of death not life and so they are constantly surrounded by and involved in tragic life experiences. So, it was amazing that when these loyal, cradle to the grave, hard-core bangers were forcibly faced with life - their own children - it provoked them to critically think about and problem-solve their current situation motivated by new found hope that their children could have better lives. Another solution stated called for African-Americans to stop calling each other 'nigga'. In the documentary, Cle explained that saying let's go kill those niggas was as easy as saying let's go kill those animals, those spiders, and so on because it de-personalized your actions and the victims of your actions. But, if you were to say, let's go kill those brothas, it would make you pause and think, "Does it make sense that I would want to kill my brotha?" To take it a step further, if you were to say, let's go kill Anthony, you would not only personalize it and make it real but you would be acknowledging what you were doing which would be planning to murder someone.Of course, the final conclusion was that gang life was based on destruction and the only way out was jail or death, and that overall banging should be avoided at all costs.Finally, I have to comment that Cle himself added to the complexity of the gang life as well. Cle's own human characteristics were shown throughout the documentary as he was both partial and impartial as an interviewer and a 'character'. He was impartial when speaking to governmental officials and professors, strictly gathering facts via interview but partial when talking to his homeboys because it is his neighborhood, he himself is an ex-Blood member, and he is very loyal to his neighborhood. He cares very deeply. At one point, someone close to him dies, killed by Crip gang members. At one point he says that he would do something to his slain friend's killer if he were face to face with him, but at another point he says he would not have any interaction with him at all. This is real and illustrates how dynamic human behavior really is and can be.Overall, this documentary resonated deeply within me and I feel that everyone should view it and discuss it. It really gives you an honest insight to this sub-culture of L.A. gang life and you are able to walk away thinking about how to make changes in your own world/sub-culture.