Splinter (2006/I)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Michael D. Olmos

Writers:

Enrique Almeida (writer)
Adrian Cruz (writer)

Release Date:

17 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Everyone Dies Dirty

Plot:

A gang member, suffering from severe memory loss, searches for his brother's murderer. He secretly enlists the aid of the investigating Detective, while other members of his gang are mysteriously and sadistically murdered.

Cast

Tom Sizemore	...	Detective Cunningham
Edward James Olmos	...	Captain Garcia
Ivonne Coll	...	Mom
Enrique Almeida	...	Dreamer
Resmine Atis	...	Detective Gramm
Noel Gugliemi	...	Dusty
Dallas Page	...	Detective Stiles
Delilah Cotto	...	Vanessa
Emilio Rivera	...	Jesse (Veterano)
Adam Rodriguez	...	Private Martinez
Hector Atreyu Ruiz	...	Trigger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ski Carr	...	Louie garcia
Gary Cruz	...	Lil Nights
Anthony Cuesta	...	Speedy
Kira Elliot	...	Female Officer 1
Ruben Ferrer	...	Paradise Gardens G 2
Billy Garcia	...	Shaggy
Jesse G.	...	Paradise Gardens G 4
Nicholas Gonzalez	...	Detective Diaz
Del Guillen	...	Paradise Gardens G 1
Mark Hall	...	Detective
Nico Hill	...	Detective Scinetti
Rob Hinderstein	...	Detective
Harry Karp	...	Forensics Officer #2
Alejandro Llobet	...	Bartender
Jennifer Lopes	...	Bar Girl
Art Madison	...	Detective
Thaddeus Massey	...	Forensics Expert Petersen
Vinni Ali'i Mesa	...	Smokey
Ramon Molina	...	Termite
Gino Montesinos	...	Gumby
Lisa Moya	...	Female Under Arrest 1
Bridger Nielson	...	Detective
Bodie Olmos	...	Forensics Officer
Mico Olmos	...	Detective
Mario Orozco	...	Happy
Danny Ortiz	...	Casper
Senen Reyes	...	Greenville G (as Sen Dog)
Elizabeth Rivera	...	Gang member chola (credit only)
Danny Romo	...	Paradise Gardens G 3
Kim Rouggie	...	Herself
Emiliano Torres	...	Shooter
Brien Varady	...	Detective
Jared Ward	...	Detective

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Splinter Film LLC

Trivia:

This film is produced by a variety of Los Angeles-based community artists, including a team of scholars from comic book production companies Chamber Six and Dark Horse. It is being best compared to the surprising, award-winning graphic-novelization-turned-movie History of Violence (2005) for it's bold sincerity in this industry.

noteworthy in an otherwise burned out genre

so, i've seen this at a preview screening. here's my commentary: i don't know how many people go to blockbuster, but i'm sure anyone who has, regularly, has noticed over the years, a slew of low-budget "gang" films. well, those movies hitting the shelves, seem to only bring to the viewer the basic, generic love affair, doubled with an attempt (a poor one) at the "tough feel" better captured by classics like "american me", and "south central". well, after actually renting a few of those, i'd say they were more than a let down, they were HORRIBLE. but then again, they WERE low-budget. i can go on about these titles, bad acting, bad editing, etc. and rarely, anything new brought to the table.

with splinter, it seems (finally) someone decided to actually jump off the cheap bandwagon, and make more than just another "urban"/mi vida loca/boyz in the hood b-flick. the best way i've heard it described is "memento" meets a modern "blood in/blood out". sizemore fits his character so well, you forget he's not really a messed up cop. ed olmos' deadpan look and stern dialogue also do great in the story. the main "gangsters" themselves, especially "dreamer", also do a good job, portraying these characters as more than just average street criminals, but people with messed up lives.

anyways, i definitely recommend this if you want to see a "gang life" movie with some good twists and turns, along with numerous scenes of gratuitous violence. this is one i wouldn't be surprised HBO picking up.