Set in urban Atlanta, this hyperreal gangster drama centers on kinetic dope dealer Curtis Snow, who nabs a video camera off a pair of college kids, then begins recording the deals, deliveries and shoot-outs that comprise his daily operation.
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Though the movie is hood as shit, I couldn't help but feel a little cheated out of what could have been stellar by filmsy execution. It does contain some brilliant found footage moments, though. Mainly through the premise.
What Curtis Snow lacks in refined story-telling ability, he makes up for in knowing that his life makes for something really fascinating to see on camera. The handicam found-footage approach makes for probably one of the most realistic found-footage films I've ever seen.
"SOTB shows us that we are merely outsiders watching what might as well be a documentary because we cannot separate fact from fiction. It does what any good documentary does, it teaches us about a place or subject otherwise unknown to us. In this case, a world that is as exotic as it is destitute, where a traditional documentary filmmaker would surely not survive." - Jeremy Shattuck, HipandTrippy. 3.5 stars.
"see, it's either, see, this how this shit go in the street; either you gon be the one that's doin it - or it's gon get done to ya ass.... ya got to have one of them ways."