Slam (1998)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.8/10
Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 8

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 3

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 2,569

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Movie Info

Filmmaker Marc Levin, known for his documentaries exploring prison life, drug addiction, and street gangs, won the 1998 Sundance Film Festival grand jury prize when he made his feature dramatic directorial debut with this downbeat prison drama about a black poet jailed on minor drug charges. At "Dodge City," a Washington, D.C., housing project, streetwise Ray Joshua (Saul Williams), a marijuana dealer who writes poetry, sees his drug connection gunned down, winds up busted as a murder suspect,

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Drama

Directed By: Marc Levin

Written By: Marc Levin

In Theaters: Oct 5, 1998 Wide

On DVD: Mar 23, 1999

Trimark

Slam Trailer & Photos

Cast

Saul Williams
Ray Joshua
Sonja Sohn
Lauren Bell
Bonz Malone
Hopha

Critic Reviews for Slam

All Critics (40) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (8) | DVD (3)

Part gritty prison drama, part inner-city chronicle, the energetic Slam defies easy categorization, serving as a compelling plea for black males of how to survive in oppressive society. The film won the 1998 Sundance Jury Award for Best Drama.

December 1, 2006 Full Review Source: Variety

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

Top Critic

A powder keg of a movie, exploding with emotional honesty and truth and the exuberant passion of raw young talent.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

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Audience Reviews for Slam

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A brilliant masterpiece of independent black cimema. This was a film that had a strong cast(real-life poet Saul Williams and also Sonja Sohn of HBO's The Wire) with compelling subject matter complete with a killer soundtrack(featuring the sounds of the DC "go-go" and other artists)not to mention some of the most

September 10, 2007