1992's Street Hitz is one of those films you have to watch more than once to appreciate it.
The film is about two brothers living in the South Bronx, New York. The older brother, Junior is the resident tough guy that the block respects, he's pretty much set in the life he has, working a dead end job, and married to a woman only because she's pregnant, the younger brother, Joey, is a college student that has a bright future ahead of him, both Junior and their father want Joey to succeed, and get out of the Bronx, but surprise, surprise, Joey mentions to his brother that his girlfriend is pregnant, immediately angering Junior, thinking that Joey is gonna throw away his future, Joey says he's not, he tells his brother that's he gonna succeed, but an act of violence sets off a chain of events that end tragically.
Aside from Joey's situation, Junior also has his own dilemma, because of his reputation in the community, local gangster Dino is trying to recruit Junior into his crime family. Junior is conflicted because he wants to do the right thing in life, but he also knows the kind of money this job would offer. There's also a subplot with a young boy who looks up to Junior, but I won't spoil this part of the film, so you'd have to watch it to see the outcome.
The film was written, produced, and directed by Joseph Vasquez, a talented writer/director who died young, this film was actually his first one, it was filmed in 1988, but was later released in 1992 after the success of his most well-known movie, "Hangin' With the Homeboys".
For a low budget film, it's a great watch, the acting is good, sometimes a bit over the top, but everyone seems to be giving it their all, you can tell this was a labor of love, aside from writing and directing, Vasquez also was the cinematographer, editor, and production manager on the film, he clearly was a Jack-of-all-trades, and had he lived longer, he would've been a successful filmmaker.
If you're a fan of his work, or a fan of low budget films, then this movie is for you.
The film is about two brothers living in the South Bronx, New York. The older brother, Junior is the resident tough guy that the block respects, he's pretty much set in the life he has, working a dead end job, and married to a woman only because she's pregnant, the younger brother, Joey, is a college student that has a bright future ahead of him, both Junior and their father want Joey to succeed, and get out of the Bronx, but surprise, surprise, Joey mentions to his brother that his girlfriend is pregnant, immediately angering Junior, thinking that Joey is gonna throw away his future, Joey says he's not, he tells his brother that's he gonna succeed, but an act of violence sets off a chain of events that end tragically.
Aside from Joey's situation, Junior also has his own dilemma, because of his reputation in the community, local gangster Dino is trying to recruit Junior into his crime family. Junior is conflicted because he wants to do the right thing in life, but he also knows the kind of money this job would offer. There's also a subplot with a young boy who looks up to Junior, but I won't spoil this part of the film, so you'd have to watch it to see the outcome.
The film was written, produced, and directed by Joseph Vasquez, a talented writer/director who died young, this film was actually his first one, it was filmed in 1988, but was later released in 1992 after the success of his most well-known movie, "Hangin' With the Homeboys".
For a low budget film, it's a great watch, the acting is good, sometimes a bit over the top, but everyone seems to be giving it their all, you can tell this was a labor of love, aside from writing and directing, Vasquez also was the cinematographer, editor, and production manager on the film, he clearly was a Jack-of-all-trades, and had he lived longer, he would've been a successful filmmaker.
If you're a fan of his work, or a fan of low budget films, then this movie is for you.