I was very pleasantly surprised by this movie. Decided to watch it on a whim to see an actor I'm a fan of (Nicholas Gonzales) and though he ended up having a much smaller role than I anticipated, I quickly became consumed by the more prominent characters and their stories. I think the dialogue was the best part of this film. My one complaint sometimes about independent film is that the dialogue feels scripted. With this film, it felt natural, off the cuff, witty, funny. I loved just listening to the conversations between the main character and his friends. This movie is funny, but its also bleak and gritty and sad, but also well done and..diverse..for lack of a better word? The main character could've easily been your stereotypical Puerto Rican 20-something from the Bronx but in this film there's more to him than street ball, his rapper homeboy and his "big brother" from the wrong side of the tracks. The music he loves is diverse, the films and cultures that fascinate him are diverse. I liked that this character wasn't one-note, how the viewer gets to see a new side to him when the situation changers. I'm gonna keep my eye out for more of Augustin's work.

Two precious hours I will never get back. And the only reason I even bothered going was because Stand Up Guys wasn't available. Should've gone to see Bullet To The Head instead. Ugh. The repetition, the less than-a-handful of funny moments and lines, the over-the-top explosions that would make Michael Bay shed a tear with pride, the hour-long chase scene, the predictability...I could go on. And I can't be mad at Bruce Willis or whoever wrote this tripe. I only have myself to blame for turning down this "film" and going to see something else.

I enjoyed it. The problem with cop dramas and thriller movies these days is that television has the market cornered. They've covered virtually every storyline you can think of, including this one if I'm not mistaken. The only thing that the big screen can do is feature nudity and extensive profanity. I still enjoyed seeing Wahlberg in his element as well as Crowe as this sleazy, underhanded politician (redundant, I know). What I enjoyed more than the plot was the dialogue and the characters. Plenty of funny quips and singers and one-liners, particularly from Wahlberg and Jeffrey Wright. I'm pretty sure this film will be on heavy rotation on my TV once it starts making the rounds on the movie channels.