This show-me, don't-tell-me doc is an effective, poignant but slightly depressing look at one young man's struggle to find the right path.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 1, 2021

Nathan's onscreen portrayal of Baltimore is a grim, but wholly alive piece of documentary filmmaking.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 4, 2020

The filmmaking on 12 O'Clock Boys is masterfully even-handed and fastidiously detailed.

| Original Score: B+ | Jun 21, 2016

This defiance of the law, combined with the skill, speed and excitement, is part of the romance that draws Pug and other kids into the biker life. It is like the wild west.

| Original Score: C+ | Jan 2, 2015

The result is evocative and compelling, even if it doesn't offer much context or socioeconomic insight into its broader subject.

| Mar 21, 2014

There's no balance of perspective, but what the feature lacks in fullness it makes up for in pure energy, extracting a sense of life in motion as its influence by a false sense of security.

| Original Score: B+ | Mar 5, 2014

With stunning footage and a choppy narrative, 12 O'Clock Boys captures the paradoxical feelings driving these young men through the streets of Baltimore.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 15, 2014

A short, pungent, ambiguous portrait of the poorer sections of Baltimore and the young men who get their kicks riding dirt bikes through the streets en masse, popping wheelies and dodging the police.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 13, 2014

For a first-time filmmaker, Nathan achieves a remarkable balance, presenting each side with very little bias.

| Feb 10, 2014

Documentary filmmaker Lotfy Nathan explores the outlaw appeal of an inner-city Baltimore dirt-bike gang through the eyes of a 13-year-old wannabe member named Pug.

| Original Score: B | Feb 10, 2014

One of the more unique looks at the Other America to come down the line in recent years

| Original Score: A | Feb 5, 2014

It's the rare film that gets deep into low income inner city life and zeroes in on what motivates those whom society tends to forget.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 5, 2014

An arresting nonfiction look at a subculture of young African-American dirt-bike enthusiasts who view their hobby as a ride-or-die proposition -- a dangerous way to act out proxy battles with authority.

| Original Score: B+ | Feb 4, 2014

Well-edited and often thrilling, but leaves you with more questions than answers and feels incomplete.

| Original Score: 5.95/10 | Feb 3, 2014

An exciting, beautifully shot look at a subculture through the eyes of one of its most devoted admirers.

| Original Score: B | Jan 31, 2014

It's important to remember that not every day is a joy ride. 12 O'Clock Boys is also a portrait of a family.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 31, 2014

12 O'Clock Boys shows the culture for what it is: thrilling, compelling and more than a little dangerous.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 31, 2014

This slice-of-life effort presents a complicated picture when it comes to the world of urban dirt biking, acknowledging the dangers involved while celebrating its utility as an outlet for the pent-up emotions of a people left behind by society.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 31, 2014

Lotfy Nathan's hand-held camerawork, combined with a snappy hip-hop soundtrack, gives the documentary a sense of immediacy.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 31, 2014

It's positive, it's inspiring, it's beautiful.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jan 31, 2014