A multi-generational crime story concerning an L.A. neighborhood split between 4 gangs, The 4 Points is a brash and brave film. Director Raul Perez, working off a script he penned with Kevin J. Kelley, means to capture the Black and Latino crime scene through the decision to make the titular neighborhood the central meeting point of all the story threads that power the narrative. The movie starts with an anecdote that looks like it happened in the past and shifts rapidly to the future, where Dre Allen (Dominique Marsell) and Shane Murphy (Dustin Harnish) serve as detectives in the LAPD. Both men have scarred pasts. Detective Murphy’s parents died of a heroin overdose, and Detective Allen’s father enjoyed relationships with multiple women.
Violence in 4 points continues to escalate to a point where the detectives’ boss, Captain Al Hernandez (Ruben Pla), is being disturbed in the middle of the night. So he taps Allen and Murphy to spend some quality time in their old neighborhood and figure out who’s behind this increase in violence and mayhem. At the same time, the gangs that run the area are experiencing new leadership.
While the identity of the business person at the center of the drama is kept a secret yet to be revealed, it’s pretty clear it’s someone with a legacy connection to 4 Points. After all, gentle reader, this is a generational crime motion picture. To complicate matters for Murphy and Allen, the gangs have an informant within the LAPD, who has revealed that there exists a police task force established to handle the crime wave happening.
“Violence in 4 points continues to escalate to a point…[Allen and Murphy are tapped]…figure out who’s behind this increase in violence…”
The 4 Points draws inspiration from various crime films of Los Angeles’ past. L.A. Confidential, Colors, and Boyz N Da Hood all served to inform Perez’s tenth credited directorial effort. I really like the sense of historicity that runs through this movie. The filmmaker is a pretty great director of actors, which is a good thing, as the strength of its performances braces the entire dramatic crime saga. Harnish and Marsell share a great buddy chemistry. Harnish has this wondrous “1000-mile stare” he employs to significant effect at moments of great tension. He really does a great job enhancing the sense of sturm and drang underpinning the text.
The other thing the flick does really well is it gives us a sense of underprivileged Los Angeles. Whereas there have been many immigrant populations who have been embroiled in crime and gang violence, the emphasis in this day and age is clearly focused on Black and Latino gangs. The language used throughout, English with sporadic phrases in Spanish, gives a very present-day verisimilitude to the proceedings.
The 4 Points is a handsome production and a very well-acted one. If you enjoy crime movies, this is for you. The twists and turns and complications Perez and Kelley throw into their script will keep the viewer intrigued and engaged. This is heady filmmaking, and it’s definitely worth streaming. Simply put, this is great.
"…heady filmmaking..."
