For entertainment that goes upside your head, then jumps inside and stays there, check out The Pressure 2, the second knockout installment of the crime series written and directed by Gregory R. Edwards II. It’s all about guns, money, and drugs on the mean streets of Atlanta, with all the players working their games hard to get that bank. Officer Fence (Rogelio Lorenzo) is sniffing around the ballers like Shoota (Rodricious Gates), looking to make a pinch. Officer Fence is also making sure he gets his while he gets the job done, which sometimes requires bending the law over and f*****g it.
Meanwhile, during a crib invasion, Dirt (Derolies Ivey) shoots some fool in the face after robbing his place. Turns out Dirt got more than he bargained for, because among the spoils of his victory was a kilo of pure cocaine that had barely been stepped on. Dirt reaches out to Big Red (Gregory Taylor), who sells the most blinged-out custom rims in town at his showroom. Just one sniff lets Red know that this coke is a ride no one else in town can offer, which means there is work to be done and kept quiet. But there is nothing quiet about A-Town, and soon gunfire light up the night like a thousand stars.
“It’s all about guns, money, and drugs on the mean streets of Atlanta…”
Bang, bang, bang! That is how The Pressure 2 rides. It starts at a relentless pace and stays that way, blasting across the screen like a comet. I had not seen the first part, so I was dropped into a mosh when it first started. The lightning-fast scripting straightened my head out quickly, as it takes no time at all to get to know the pieces on this chessboard. It has the intricacy of a concrete Game of Thrones, with many moves being made by many players, resulting in consequences that will shatter the sidewalks. Best of all, any possible boring parts are stripped off, like someone pulled the screenplay into a midnight chop shop. This means the actors have an endless buffet to feast on, with many opportunities to show off their caliber.
The Pressure 2 has a look that is slick and raw at the same time. That is rare, as you usually can only have one or the other. It’s both flashy and gritty, like lost diamonds in cemetery dirt. While everything looks authentic and unvarnished, the brilliant cinematography, by Edwards II, swoops down and spins around, finding killer angles every time. It looks like real life, but the camerawork makes the viewer feel like they are in the thick of the action. The ultra-clean film editing by Tre McIntyre makes the images flow like a shark circling a cage.
The only thing that needs tightening up is the sound mixing, as there are audio drops and level inconsistencies. Still, I want to see the first installment now, and I want the next episode. The Pressure 2 is 2 important 2 to miss out on, so get 2 it now.
"…any possible boring parts are stripped off, like s.omeone pulled the screenplay into a midnight chop shop."
