Avenge the Crows (2017) Online

This isn't a ground-breaking story, but very watchable. Danay Garcia does a great job of carrying the film as the lead actor. She has names like Danny Trejo, Stephen Bauer and Lou Diamond Phillips backing her in smaller roles. This movie has its low-budget-looking moments. But overall, it's nicely edited and shot without those folks doing crazy things, trying to call attention to themselves. It was still good the second time I watched it.

I gotta say I didn't see this one coming. What started as a light six rating, throwaway reason to stay up later than I should with an unknown movie I'd never heard of on cable, ended up being a solid 7+ rating, an oddly philosophic buddhist-in-the-barrio feel-good tale of existential fatalism and karma.

That sure sounds full of itself, but it's an unusual review for an unusual movie. It starts out like most any other straight-to-video undeniably B flick about latino millennials who grew up doing what hardcore gangsters do -- dope, sex, and violence. And it ends as a writer-director's vanity project where sexy but hard brown kids in the hood are substituted for sexy white thoughtful college kids doing dirty in the OC.

Don't get me wrong -- every actor in this looks like the real thing, albeit prettier like actors are. There's no problem with authenticity here. And even the dorm-room philosophizing that creeps up on you in the third act, that seems so uncharacteristic, so against "type" that it would flop embarrassingly when delivered by many other actors under other directors, manages to work in this movie.

The violence feels quick, simple and real, and very thankfully, doesn't overplay its cinematic hand that way so many LA crime flicks do (like STREET KINGS). It also doesn't cheat us with fancy quick-cuts ala the Bournes. It doesn't say "look how cool I am" like the Wicks. It just feels like ugly, blink-of-an-eye unadorned pain that wasn't there a second ago, but is all you can feel now.

As you'd expect with such an unknown film, the "name" actors are there for flavor, to "class up" the place with meaty character portrayals that come and go. Who'd ever think that Danny Trejo would be the guy who classes up an otherwise obscure project with a cameo?

Best of all, the writer-director and actor ensemble perform a neat hat trick -- they get you to like and even respect them, but unlike most movies, they don't try to charm you into liking them. You just do, on THEIR terms. It's a neat feat that I rarely see in non-art films.

No, this still isn't one of those "oh my god you gotta check out this gem!" cinematic finds. It's still a slicker version of what used to be a drive-in movie, with solid visual indie production values, satisfactory pacing, dialogue that makes sense -- and most importantly for me -- didn't have any obvious "oops" moments or gag-worthy creative decisions that make you groan. To me it would have held most interest as an A-list producer who's looking for new talent in writer-directors to drop 30 mil on. Toward that purpose, I bet this movie's writer-director will be stepping out in the years to come.

I found this movie to be quite "flat" it just was nt interesting

The story wasn't bad. The editing made it difficult at times to follow storyline. Timelines were off to me. Better accompaniment of music could have been better. Some was down right cheesy. The gratuitous sex scene was just that. The social message actually was clear, however.

I can actually say this was a nice little movie... it truly was a pleasant surprise

Loved seeing Danny Trejo, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Stephen Bauer commit to great roles and the lead actress Danay Garcia did a great job as well along with others.

It turned out to be much more than a revenge flick and I hate to say a possible life lesson about how some at the top are not getting their hands dirty while they protect their reputation and how shared profits might create alliances. I hope that isn't too much of a spoiler.

The budget was low but they definitely made the most of it. Loved the use of the transition cuts done. Although nothing new it did help control the pacing and enhanced the story line as well.

It is a movie I would see again and can recommend.

This is an awesome movie! Great acting and a lot of my favorite actors! A must see

The acting was far better than the script. The lead actress was wonderful. Nearly all the acting was up to a good standard. The problem was the beginning and ending. It was very very long and told as a story. A poor substitute for a film. Not a total failure but not a good film.

I actually liked this film... more than I expected