Ugly Intricacy

Gangsters and thugs wearing state-issued khakis or brand-name clothes. How about organized crime families, not with a Godfather calling shots but a Beast at the top of the food chain. Prison shankings on the cell block to gun battles in the city streets. Plots and schemes, blood and death, a life- or death-sentence of drama. If you like that, you probably have a twisted mentality hidden beneath the surface of a civilized person. Well, maybe not so much if you’re just living vicariously through the screen of your television. Then again, perhaps you’re a little bit bent in the psyche. As are us all!

Yup, I’m going to drop a movie recommendation based on all this madness. It is a story of a man’s mistake leading him into a ruthless brotherhood. It’s one of those brotherhoods that loyalty appears to be everything, even as they treat their own like expendable pieces in the game of power and pride. It’s a Gangster story spelled with a capital G.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This particular movie falls into the gangster genre. Better yet, it is in the crime thriller category, and for a good reason. Fear, violence, greed, power all drive this film. Blood will be shed because it is the way. Every prison in this country operates with this code of violence. Let’s not be delusional here; it extends from top-down, from those who earn their wages off this upside-down system of just-us to those incarcerated by it. I can personally attest to that. Even here in little ol’ Nebraska, the prison yards have drunk their share of misery and leaking pain. If you saw American Me or Shawshank Redemption, then you know what I’m talking about.

Next, if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you know the lead actor, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, as Jamie Lannister. Long before HBO heard of George R. R. Martin, I was reading his novels, and so when I saw the King Slayer on the cover of this movie, I decided I’d give it a try. I wasn’t disappointed. And like his previous role, he gets to embrace that love-hate relationship with the audience.

Did I mention that the brotherhood in this movie is the Aryan Brotherhood? So, if you love racism, then your wife is probably your sister. However, that’s your parents’ problem. Or do you call them your aunt and uncle? Just kidding. They’re probably your older siblings. Anyways, your family tree is turning into a spiderweb of stickiness, and that’s not the drama I wanted to get into here.

Back to racism…Actually, it is not really part of this movie even though the central power entity is the Aryan Brotherhood. Yes, it threw me off at first. However, it is one of the hardest gangster stories since Menace II Society and Scarface! And yes, I received some sideways comments when I vouched for it, but the few who followed through with the viewing could not deny that it was as solid as prison concrete.

I am making no moral claims here. Trigger warnings should be flagged all over this film. With that said, as the credits roll, so should your contemplation of your ethical limitations. How much would you truly sacrifice? What is honor, pride, and love worth? Who are you at your core where no one will see the corruptness or the humanity?

Boyz n the Hood weaved its intricate parables into a drama of emotional trauma in our urban communities. On the other hand, this film had a different delivery but no less of a powerful sermon when it concluded. There’s not much else I want to say because I do not want to ruin what makes this a film that moved me beyond any gangster flick.

I should probably add that I am speaking about the film Shot Caller, which I believe is currently on Netflix.