Also running on the negative side is the editing. For the most part, it is fairly standard and unremarkable. However, a transition here or new angle there is clunky and jarring, either from a poorly handled edit or from being so brief it is hardly needed. But, these scenes are, thankfully, few and far between.
What elevates City Of Vultures 2 is Carothers and his very clear understanding of this world. Around the 25-minute mark, G sees some low-level dealers coming and going as they please from the apartment building. He invites them in for a chat. Knowing G’s criminal proclivities, one would expect him to make an example out of them. Instead, he gives them a few words of wisdom and lets them on their way. It’d be a sweet moment if these weren’t violent gangsters and drug dealers. Immediately following that is a stunning back and forth between G and an old friend, who is subsequently killed in a drive-by. Their dialogue is natural and realistic, while the director builds tensions by establishing the two being watched — very effective stuff.
“…the script and plotting are strong…”
Plus, one or two minor parts aside, the acting is quite strong. Carothers is excellent as the smart, calm G who wishes there was another way to make money but knows there is not. Dee Marie plays the frustrated significant other with the right amount of irritation and charm, so audiences never wonder what draws these two together. The young Harper Anthony shows natural instincts throughout, with his delivery of the line, “Like I’d ever give up my dad,” being especially great.
The low budget and limited resources of City Of Vultures 2 does show its head from time to time, most notably in the occasionally odd editing. Plus, the resolution probably only makes sense if one is familiar with the other titles in this world. However, the script and plotting are strong, the cast is uniformly great, and the drama of this former felon turning back to a life of crime is felt in every frame.
"…does not require one to know the previous entries."
