Dec 29 2010
Watch Crips and Bloods: Made in America
As a documentary fanatic, I’m always looking for new documentaries to watch and learn from. I randomly came across Crips and Bloods: Made in America on Netflix and knew right away that I needed to watch it. Watch it. I guarantee that you’ll have a whole new view on gangs, gang members and the violence that’s taking place during turf wars.
Through interviews and archival footage, the film works to explain the culture and development that lays in the heart of the Crips and Bloods and why they’re at war with one another. It shows how the deadly combination of poverty, lack of opportunity, oppression, and discrimination was at the root of the rise of the gangs and the violence that’s taking place in south central LA.
Like: The interviews with actual members and former members of the Crips and Bloods and even their relatives. It puts a face to what we hear about in rap music and see in the movies and attaches a human element to so-called “gangbangers” that you’ve probably never experienced before. With these interviews, you realize that these men are humans looking for some sort of attachment and belonging that, for some reason, they couldn’t find outside of the gang. The most touching (and sad) part was definitely when they interviewed the mothers and relatives of those that had been murdered due to gang violence. The human element of gang violence that this film portrayed was perhaps its best quality.
Didn’t Like: There was a chronological break in the middle of the movie which took the audience back from 2007 t0 the 1800’s and went back into the 1960’s. I felt like it was misplaced and took a little away from the human element that the film was attempting to create. In the middle of the movie, I was already starting to get really into it and really empathizing with the gang members that were being interviewed. Taking me away from that with a history lesson that could’ve been more useful at the beginning didn’t work very well.
Like: My favorite character, by far, was Kumasi. His wisdom, passion and intelligence made you admire and respect him. He just had a way with words and I feel like a whole other movie could’ve been made just about him and his perspectives on African American history and the development of gang culture.
Like: While insightful, this movie was pretty sad. The ending, however, showed a glimmer of hope that things in LA might get better and the violence is slowly becoming replaced with talks of peace and resolution. Former gang members are reaching out and seeking unity if not for their communities but to set a better example for their children. Most documentaries that deal with heavy topics often end with note of hope, but the way this movie ended made me really believe in it and really see that, although small, a movement was beginning to take steps and strides towards peace and freedom.
Overall, a great documentary that provides insight into gang culture AND African American history. It provides an intelligent look into the past, present and future to gain a panoramic view of the state of young, African men in LA. This movie WILL change your perspective of gangs and I really hope that it shows you how everyone is human and looking for somewhere they belong.
4/5