Shottas

    Shottas
    2002

    Synopsis

    A raw urban drama about two friends raised on the dangerous streets of Kingston, Jamaica. Biggs and Wayne take on the "Shotta" way of life to survive. As young boys, they begin a life of crime, eventually moving to the US where they begin a ruthless climb from the bottom. They remain bound to each other by their shottas loyalty as they aggressively take control of the Jamaican underworld.

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    Cast

    • Ky-Mani MarleyBiggs
    • Spragga BenzWayne
    • Paul CampbellMad Max
    • Louie RankinTeddy Bruckshut
    • Wyclef JeanRichie Effs
    • Screechie BopGussy
    • San SanRaquel
    • JabbaDangles
    • AssassinBlacka
    • BeastSealy

    Recommendations

    • 63

      TV Guide Magazine

      It's all pretty rough going, but even with its microbudget there's enough blood, booty and bling to satisfy fans of the genre. It's also never dull, thanks to Silvera's restless pacing and a great reggae soundtrack.
    • 50

      Variety

      Gangster tale Shottas feels like a Jamaican "Scarface," offering a vivid slice of the underground street culture of Kingston. Still, the violence is senseless and the plot full of holes.
    • 50

      Village Voice

      Writer-director Cess Silvera claims he's trying to "show the gritty life of Jamaican immigrants," but Shottas is no more a social-issue film than "Scarface."
    • 40

      L.A. Weekly

      It doesn't help that the level of acting in the film brings nothing but accidental humor to the mix.
    • 40

      Los Angeles Times

      There's no social commentary discernible here; merely a rap-video style glorification of the gangsta life, complete with mad money, barely clad babes and that annoying affectation of holding pistols sideways. As to its treatment of women, well, it's not exactly a feminist film.
    • 40

      The New York Times

      Cess Silvera, the film's writer and director, doesn't find any of the humanity or inner demons that would allow the characters to rise above B-movie exploitation.
    • 38

      Boston Globe

      A slick but dull new shoot- ' em-up from Jamaica, doesn't penetrate the mysteries of high-rolling, high-risk thug life.
    • 30

      Chicago Reader

      Despite the syncopated score and subtitled patois, this is just another "Scarface" knockoff, with the usual array of bling, booty, and ballistics.