Shot Caller
A newly released prisoner is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
I rarely consider watching any movies made after the early 2000’s because that’s when they made what I call REAL movies, no CGI and no blue or green screens. To me, it’s the difference between going outside & really playing a game, or staying inside and playing a game on your computer or cellphone.
I watched Shot Caller because my friend Darlene A. McGarrity mentioned it on Facebook. So I checked it out & liked it ─ even though it was made in 2017. Most of the post-2000 movies I like share two common traits. One, they’re well directed. And two, they feature fine acting by a cast of actors I rarely, if ever, saw in anything before.
Look at this list of no-names ─ Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Benrthal, & Emory Cohen ─ to name five.
Nicolaj Coster-Waldau was so impressive I looked him up. Remarkable, he was born in Denmark & graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre in Copenhagen, yet he spoke without a hint of any accent. Some of you may be familiar with him because he appeared in 55 episodes of Game of Thrones ─ no wonder I never saw him before.
Change versus Steadfast
In both written fiction and film fiction, your main character is either steadfast and remains essentially the same from the beginning to the end, or he changes his approach, attitude, or behavior. In Shot Caller, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau is a change character who rotates more than 360 degrees.
If you want a taste of life behind bars or being a member of a street gang, give Shot Caller a try. It made me look up the term “validated.”
Ric Roman Waugh wrote and directed Shot Caller. I’ll have to see what else he’s done.
Thanks, D.
I’m America’s Best Crime Writer – Barry Bowe – & I approve this message.
My first book – BORN TO BE WILD – Published in 1992 – Still selling on Amazon & Kindle. A true story about certain members of the Warlocks motorcycle gang.
The story took 21 years to play out – many twists & turns – an amalgam of SONS OF ANARCHY & BREAKING BAD – but these outlaw bikers make the SONS look like Cub Scouts.
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