Bang Bang (2010)
August 19th, 2011 by Mr. C
Director: Byron Q
Cast: Thai Ngo,David Huynh,Jessika Van,Walter Wong
Genre: gangster
This film really surprised the heck out of me! Bang Bang chronicles a day in the life of an asian american gang and the different paths in life that a few of the members would take. This is the 1st feature film for Byron Q (director/producer/editor/writer) and he delivered a raw and gritty heavy hitter in his debut! It wasn’t a documentary but it was filmed as such, complete with the fuzzing of car license plates & faces with an extreme slow down in camera speed compounded with posterizing/choppy effects to distort some of the gang fight scenes. The stereotypical low rider vehicles, distracting soundtracks of blaring hip hop music to mask substance in favor of style, and the wife beater/guinea tee look that some west coast gang movies are known for are NOT of influence in this piece. Instead, the relationships between the gang members, the confrontations, and the interaction or lack thereof between them and their families get the most screen time as opposed to glorifying gang violence with all the cliches attached to the lifestyle. It was described pretty well by one of the movie promoters present at the screening when he stated that the movie was like you being a fly on the wall in the day to day operation of a local gang. What was really amazing was that most of the cast of Bang Bang are not professional actors but real life gang members. David Huynh who played Charlie and Jessika Van (Jenn) were 2 of only a handful of professional actors on the set!
The story centers around Justin (Thai Ngo), a vietnamese american who is heavily involved with a gang but wants to get out to pursue better pastures in the music industry. On the flipside, Charlie (Justin’s good friend) is living in the comforts of a wealthy Taiwanese family, wanting desperately to be part of the gangster scene to rebel against the lavished lifestyle bestowed upon him. As Justin & Charlie go in opposite directions, they both get caught up in a back and forth web of silly nonsense with a rival crew that will eventually lead to not so pleasant things. The leader of the SD gang, Rocky (Walter Wong) was also another centerpiece of the film that shined through with his strong presence and performance on the screen. The movie lends to the struggle of 1st & 2nd generation asian americans & their family issues which further influences them to a life of self destruction.
Bang Bang was definitely rough around the edges cinematically and dialogue wise but maybe this was an intended feat by the director? The delivery of the story in its documentary like shell was also very refreshing to digest. The cast in the film were very likable as they sloshed through the crap of gang life with the very intentions of getting out…except Charlie! My only gripe with the movie was character development. Personally, I wanted to know more about the backgrounds of our lead players! Also, more screen time and development of the leading lady would of been optimal as well. What was pretty neat about the film was that even with the intense and heavy scenes there were light sprinkles of comedic relief added to the fray. Some funny situations that came to mind was the fermented cactus scene, the break-in to Justin’s own home, the molly pill (X+), & Charlie’s acting out of being a gangster while holding a gun with all the opera like music as the soundtrack!
Go and support this film, folks! It tells the tale of the other side of the asian american coin.
Thai Ngo who played Justin in the film is a real life hip hop artist based out of Portland.
Tags: bang bang, gang movies
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