By Forris Day Jr.
“Angels Around Me” is a view of the underbelly of Boston. An independent film, It tells the story of Big D, played wonderfully by Scott Neufville, a criminal who runs the streets of Boston. He shows no mercy to anyone who crosses him, but where there is money to be made, there is always someone else who is ready to take it. Tony (Anthony Menounos) owns a club and now he wants a piece of the action. He teams up with a crooked cop to take over the city’s crime business, but will he succeed? Greed knows no limit, and the darkness in a man’s soul makes nothing a guarantee. Can Big D maintain his grasp on Boston’s crime-world and who are the two strange men who seem to be watching them?
I liked the movie. It was well written and creatively shot. I love the city of Boston and feel the location shooting was great. Seeing so many familiar places is a real treat. On the technical side, it has a nice gritty feel to it and the cinematography is right up where it needs to be. My only complaint is the audio is a bit tough to hear at several points. The music was louder than the dialog so it made it hard for me to follow at times. Small things like that can make or break a movie and I only mention it as constructive criticism.
Let’s talk about the music. Angels Around Me is loaded with music, mostly Rap tunes, but not all. I am not a Rap fan, but there are tons of really well done tunes in the movie. I am probably not the one who should judge Rap because of the mere fact I am not a fan, but I recognize talent when I hear it, whether I like the music or not, so please do not crucify me. The theme song (not a Rap) “Angels Around Me” is really awesome. The woman singing it sounds great and she is for sure destine for musical success. There is a soundtrack available so pick it up or download it.
Written by Stephen “Stix” Josey, Obba Babatunde, Christine Dynan and Conrad Glover “Angels Around Me” is a pretty tight script with lots of action and daunting moments. It is directed By Stephen “Stix” Josey and Derrick Hammond. Stephen “Stix” Josey is “the man with the plan” sort of speak. This guy also produced most of the music, edited the footage, and did many other aspects of the film. For that I admire him. Kudos to the whole production team who put together this film. Josey has put together a great cast of actors that were compelling and believable in his film Angels Around Me and that is a hard thing to do with such a large cast.
If you enjoy a good crime thriller with action and nasty criminals, then you will love Angels Around Me. It’s a story of greed, revenge and of hope. I recommend it. Available on DVD, BluRay and VOD.
Rating: 7.5/10 “The gritty side of Boston”
