If you haven't yet heard of The Interrupters, you haven't been paying close enough attention to 2011's slate of great movies. Steve James' latest documentary tackles the intractable problem of gang violence in Chicago with a very hands-off approach that helps him achieve moments of gut-wrenching honesty. The film's thesis will dismay you, though you'll be simultaneously uplifted by the courage and strength of our three heroes. It's far from easy to watch, but right from the outset, you'll find yourself glued to the screen-not exactly an easy feat for a non-fiction film. The film follows Chicago's violence interrupters-a group made up primarily of former gang members who are dedicated to stopping the gang-related killings that are plaguing their city. Three of these individuals-Ameena Matthews, Eddie Bocanegra, and Cobe Williams-share their stories of overcoming personal challenges and finding forgiveness for their past mistakes. It's this that motivates them to do whatever they can to salvage the lives of other young people in whom they see a little too much of their former selves. One of the most interesting things about The Interrupters is the different styles employed by its three main characters. Matthews leads through charisma and sheer willpower. She's a frighteningly good speaker, perhaps because she's let's her heart do the talking, and it's impossible to not watch her and really listen to what she has to say. Williams, meanwhile, has a more low-key approach. He befriends people, let's them know he's there for him, and really follows-up. One of the film's best stories involves a man named Flamo. Flamo's family had just been arrested because a rival set them up. His initial response was to go down to the man's house, guns blazing. But Williams takes him for a ride and rationalizes the situation with him. Yes, it sucks, but what's killing someone going to do. One of the film's final moments shows Flamo going to work, a calmer and much happier man. It's a startling image, and one that wouldn't likely be possible without Williams' intervention. Then, there's Eddie Bocanegra, who has perhaps the hardest time coping with his past. Though his two colleagues have done their fair share of time, Eddie's time was for murder, something he struggles a great deal with. He spends most days visiting a school, talking with the kids, and showing them other ways in which they can express their anger, sadness, and fear. Other days, however, he spends at the grave of the man whose life he took. It's something you're unaccustomed to-feeling deep sympathy for a convicted murderer-but this is just another in the long line of accomplishments by James and his crew. There's no way you can deny what Steve James has accomplished here. This is one of the finest documentaries I've ever seen, and easily one of the best films of 2011. It shows a slice of society that the majority of us pretends doesn't even exist, and it does so in such a way that will both dismay and uplift you. http://www.johnlikesmovies.com/interrupters/

I found this pretty interesting as are most of the people involved. It reminded me of the Guardian Angels in New York a lot. It's way too long though, as a one hour 온라인카지노추천 programme this would have been perfect, at over 2 hours it felt very stretched. Some really touching scenes mind you.

Fifteen years after his groundbreaking, outstanding Hoop Dreams, director Steve James returns with this vital, extraordinary documentary that returns him to the streets of Chicago with journalist Alex Kotlowitz. Together they put an all too human face on inner city violence. The two men and one woman featured in this powerful film are known as 'violence interrupters'. Their mission is to step in and mediate situations so as to deter violence before it even begins. All of them are former gang member and violent offenders themselves. James' once again demonstrates the importance of attention to detail. It's essential viewing.

Makes its case convincingly: a violent culture needs a strong religion.

Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/ryangunasekera/the-interrupters-2011 Is violence actually an infectious disease? Will our current, 'carrot and stick' approach be one day looked at with the same ridicule as those who locked up people with illness during the middle ages due to a belief that they were possessed by demonic spirits? The evidence shows that this could be the case. In one year in Chicago, using violence 'interrupters', people with street cred to go into violence plagued communities and talk down people using words rather than military hardware that we saw recently in Ferguson, demonstrates significant results in actually reducing the seemingly endless cycle of violence. Whilst the actual story here is brilliant, and one that has been replicated with success across America, I feel that there is not a strong sense of narrative drive, that Director Steve James demonstrated in his ground breaking doco, "Hoop Dreams" 20 years ago. Instead of linking the Chicago story into the broader narrative of what was achieved across the US, we are only told the story of a single, gritty city. This is not to take anything away from the success Chicago did achieve, but if you are interested further in the concept of violence 'interrupters', check out Gary Slutkin's mind bending Ted Talk from last year: http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_slutkin_let_s_treat_violence_like_a_contagious_disease

Sad, scary, eye opening. Powerful.

This is a film that for me brought me into a whole different world then i am used to, profiling a group i was unaware of and glad exists. Good to see the people of this community are being proactive, they are the only ones who can truly stop the violence. The only weakness of this film is its a little to long, could have cut out 20-30 min.

Okay I understand what the "Interrupters" motive is, but to me it seems like it could be causing more problems within gangs.

Moving, honest and direct, this movie reveals the humanity behind the issue of violence. Without resorting to sentimentality and overdramatization, it paints a sobering but inspiring story.

As someone that lives in Chicago and grew-up in Chicago this is an even more sobering look at reality. Steve James does a great job at documenting the efforts of a few heroes in the Windy City that are working tirelessly in attempting to turn around a rising tide of street shootings and murders.

Some inspirational and interesting characters tackling the overwhelming violence in Chicago

raw and inspiring, genuine stories of life-long redemption and a look into individuals doing their part in breaking the cycle of violence in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods of chicago. in a lot of ways this is reminiscent of steve james's hoop dreams.

Heroes trudging forever uphill to make their ugly world a slightly better place.

A very hard look on street violence. courage and the pain gone by The Interrupters

AWESOME!!! Sometimes I feel like this lady!

Depressing look at street violence in Chicago. Ameena Matthews is amazing but the task at hand is a pretty hopeless one,

A documentary about saving Chicago voilent urban streets.. If you love documentaries This is not a must see.... This is a have to see

I had to turn this off after 20 minutes. This is like listening to the deadbeats living in housing commission in the western suburbs of Sydney, barely able to string together an English sentence. Cliche after cliche, it bored me to tears.

It's sad, 'cause it's true.

Even with the precarious message of hope that the heartrending documentary "The Interrupters" delivers, from watching the news it is painfully clear that violence is still a huge problem plaguing the youth of Chicago since the release of this potent film. Take away those news cameras and wait for the police presence to retreat(who in the documentary are best viewed as outsiders by people in the neighborhood), life goes on and people die which is where the interrupters of Cease Fire Illinois come in, as we get a streel level view over the period of a year in Chicago. They are all former convicts and reformed gangbangers who speak from experience in their role as mediator, counselor, mentor and referee, as an added form of penance, with otherwise their lives being back on track. The focus in the documentary is on Eddie Bocanegra, Ameena Matthews and Cobe Williams who ironically lives out in the country. Basically, aside from directly intervening in violent acts(one scene involves a fight outside of a Cease Fire office with people too aggravated to notice they are being filmed), they seek to stop violence from happening before it has a chance to escalate and most admirably to change the way people think, starting with speaking to students who often feel they do not have a future with Bocanegra going one step further by sharing his artwork with them.