Out of Bounds

Stars: Dyonte 'Tatted' Hunter, Shalonda SJ Johnson, Ricky D Smith, Renichi Garner, 'E-Gotti' Eric Johnson, Jessica Valentine, Shi Smith, Ketrick 'Jazz' Copeland, Maurin Penn, Richard Siegelman, Denishi Cookie Bonner

Director: SD Green

Dialogue and acting are pretty basic in this low-budget, grim and grainy story of low-rent crime in a small Mississippi town. When his brother Rico (Garner), one of the local big shots, is sent to prison for drug-dealing, 18-year-old Travis (Hunter) takes over drug rounds for another local kingpin, Money Mo' (Ricky D Smith), while excelling at basketball at school and making out with 26-year-old Naomi (Johnson, also the film's producer and co-scripter) and later with sad but plumptious widow Eva (Valentine).

Troubles pile up on Travis, first seen confessing his 'sins' to a priest (Siegelman) until he takes the only way out: shoot half the whole damn cast dead. No redemption here then, but peace of a kind for our anti-hero, although Travis, with his piercings, all-over tattoos and constant aggression, is far from a sympathetic character.

Hand-held camerawork and rap-beat dialogue do not make this film easy to be with, but it does have a raw immediacy that earns it plus points for unflinchingly going its own way.

David Quinlan

USA 2020. UK Distributor: TMC Film Group. Colour (uncredited).
84 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 18.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 3, Swearing 3.

Review date: 17 Nov 2020