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Editorial Reviews
The Interrupters follows three individuals who with bravado, humility, and even humor, work to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, this is an intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The good news: violent crime in our cities has been in decline for more than a decade. The bad news: that's cold comfort to those who live in areas where violence remains prevalent. The Interrupters is the story of a group of brave men and women who are doing something about it; as "violence interrupters," the members of CeaseFire attempt to defuse potentially deadly conflicts as they happen. Director Steve James, whose classic Hoop Dreams captured the difficulty of teenage hoopsters with startling intimacy and power, has delivered yet another haunting portrait of life in urban America, and even though there were many great documentaries in 2011, I think The Interupters was one 2011's best documentaries.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Informative, compelling chronicle of 'Mission Impossible' team of 'Violence Interrupters', in inner city Chicago
February 14, 2012
By Turfseer
Format:DVD
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
'The Interrupters' is an excellent documentary about a group called CeaseFire, which primarily employs streetwise, ex-cons as 'Violence Interrupters' on the tough streets of inner city Chicago. The 'Interrupters' are reformed criminals who know the lingo of the street and go around trying to defuse potential confrontations from occurring, cooling down members of their community, who often become enraged due to minor sleights which are misinterpreted as major signs of disrespect.
The group is led by Tio Hardiman, an ex-petty street criminal who later earned a Master's Degree and now heads a "Mission Impossible" team who are 'on call' to nip any potential violent incident in the bud. Remarkably, during a staff meeting shown at the beginning of the documentary, a fight develops right outside where the Interrupters are discussing strategy, and they rush out to quell the violence which involves one youth threatening another with a knife.
'The Interrupters' focuses on the lives of three members: Ameena Matthews, an ex-Gang enforcer, now a spiritual Muslim, who has communication skills as good as any highly-trained social worker; Cobe Williams, who served 12 years for Drug Trafficking and Attempted Murder, now a gentle family man, and Eddie Bocanegra, who was incarcerated 14 years for murder, now a talented artist.
We follow these 'Interrupters' as they work on various 'assignments', troubled individuals (a good number of them young people), who are prone to acting out behavior. Matthews acts as a grief counselor for a family whose son was murdered, a case which was widely publicized on Youtube and received national attention. She speaks at the funeral and we see the devastating effect the murder had on the victim's family members. Matthews also counsels a teenager named Caprysha, who ends up back at a youth facility at film's end. She concedes that not all their interventions will be successful. In the case of Caprysha, she appears to vacillate between good conduct and bad (although I read on google that she eventually earned her high school diploma).
Cobe Williams works with two brothers who can't seem to stop fighting with one another and later gets good results with a neighborhood hothead, 'Flamo', who wants to take revenge on some thugs who beat up one of his relatives. Williams manages to calm him down and in the last segment, we see 'Flamo' has obtained a job as a security guard and is wearing the uniform, ready to head off for work.
Eddie Bocanegra not only teaches art to elementary school students but also works with a young parolee, who was sent away three years for armed robbery. There's an emotional scene where he returns to the scene of his crime, a beauty salon, and apologizes to the victims. One victim accepts his apology but still makes it clear that his actions had a devastating effect on her life. The young man eventually obtains a job as a gardener at a school and is proud that he has put his violent past behind him. Eddie would like to apologize to the family of the victim he murdered, but indicates the family is perhaps not ready to forgive him.
While 'The Interrupters' do valiant work, one wonders how effective they are at what they're doing. One Interrupter concedes that their work is only a 'band aid' and the violence simply continues unabated, all over this country. The Interrupters admit that you can't work with someone who ultimately doesn't want to change.
Steve James, known for the award-winning documentary 'Hoop Dreams', has done an excellent job showcasing the noble aims of this group. Sometimes I felt that 'The Interrupters' could have been a tad bit shorter, especially toward the end. But all in all, it's a fascinating look at how one group attempts to deal with the plague of violence, in their own community.
'The Interrupters' is an excellent documentary about a group called CeaseFire, which primarily employs streetwise, ex-cons as 'Violence Interrupters' on the tough streets of inner city Chicago. The 'Interrupters' are reformed criminals who know the lingo of the street and go around trying to defuse potential confrontations from occurring, cooling down members of their community, who often become enraged due to minor sleights which are misinterpreted as major signs of disrespect.
The group is led by Tio Hardiman, an ex-petty street criminal who later earned a Master's Degree and now heads a "Mission Impossible" team who are 'on call' to nip any potential violent incident in the bud. Remarkably, during a staff meeting shown at the beginning of the documentary, a fight develops right outside where the Interrupters are discussing strategy, and they rush out to quell the violence which involves one youth threatening another with a knife.
'The Interrupters' focuses on the lives of three members: Ameena Matthews, an ex-Gang enforcer, now a spiritual Muslim, who has communication skills as good as any highly-trained social worker; Cobe Williams, who served 12 years for Drug Trafficking and Attempted Murder, now a gentle family man, and Eddie Bocanegra, who was incarcerated 14 years for murder, now a talented artist.
We follow these 'Interrupters' as they work on various 'assignments', troubled individuals (a good number of them young people), who are prone to acting out behavior. Matthews acts as a grief counselor for a family whose son was murdered, a case which was widely publicized on Youtube and received national attention. She speaks at the funeral and we see the devastating effect the murder had on the victim's family members. Matthews also counsels a teenager named Caprysha, who ends up back at a youth facility at film's end. She concedes that not all their interventions will be successful. In the case of Caprysha, she appears to vacillate between good conduct and bad (although I read on google that she eventually earned her high school diploma).
Cobe Williams works with two brothers who can't seem to stop fighting with one another and later gets good results with a neighborhood hothead, 'Flamo', who wants to take revenge on some thugs who beat up one of his relatives. Williams manages to calm him down and in the last segment, we see 'Flamo' has obtained a job as a security guard and is wearing the uniform, ready to head off for work.
Eddie Bocanegra not only teaches art to elementary school students but also works with a young parolee, who was sent away three years for armed robbery. There's an emotional scene where he returns to the scene of his crime, a beauty salon, and apologizes to the victims. One victim accepts his apology but still makes it clear that his actions had a devastating effect on her life. The young man eventually obtains a job as a gardener at a school and is proud that he has put his violent past behind him. Eddie would like to apologize to the family of the victim he murdered, but indicates the family is perhaps not ready to forgive him.
While 'The Interrupters' do valiant work, one wonders how effective they are at what they're doing. One Interrupter concedes that their work is only a 'band aid' and the violence simply continues unabated, all over this country. The Interrupters admit that you can't work with someone who ultimately doesn't want to change.
Steve James, known for the award-winning documentary 'Hoop Dreams', has done an excellent job showcasing the noble aims of this group. Sometimes I felt that 'The Interrupters' could have been a tad bit shorter, especially toward the end. But all in all, it's a fascinating look at how one group attempts to deal with the plague of violence, in their own community.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Theresa
Format:Amazon Instant Video
Impressive inspiring work by remarkable people captured respectfully through this fine documentary. I highly recommend this film for it's social awareness.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
class assignment
This movie was an assignment for a class, but after watching it (which the playback was perfect) I literally had a group of friends over and we watched it again. Read more
Published 1 month ago by marciew
4.0 out of 5 stars
Movie shown in class
This movie was hard to find as it was shown in one of my college courses. I was able to purchase it here for a few bucks and retain it for a few days. Read more
Published 2 months ago by S. Smallwood
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is for an older Youth
I will show this at our youth groups meetings/ displays real life situations graphic,tight and stark.
This is only for youths over 13 years of age
This is only for youths over 13 years of age
Published 2 months ago by Luis W Osorio
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heroes saving kids' lives in modern America
Just amazing. The tragedy of youth violence, the redemption of the teenage thugs who grew up to become "interrupters", the real daily nitty-gritty life in these vibrant but... Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Gertler
4.0 out of 5 stars
hope beyond fear
Having lost a daughter , I am familiar with wanting to give up to the fear that things can never get better. The interrupters bring a glimmer to the idea that things can change. Read more
Published 2 months ago by kathie St. Clairkathy St.Clair
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Interrupters
Raw, insightful realism...A comprehensive look into the violence and emotional complexity of the gangs of Chicago and how a group of ex offenders are making a difference by curbing... Read more
Published 2 months ago by JANET BOGEN
3.0 out of 5 stars
An OK Documentary
It was a decent documentary but I felt it was a bit lengthy and things could have been edited out of it.
Published 2 months ago by Dannielle Williar
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting...
The film follows a civic group dedicated to interrupting violence in "the 'hood".
What I found most intriguing was the homicidal rage that it's subjects would... Read more
What I found most intriguing was the homicidal rage that it's subjects would... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tannhauser
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Educational Tool
Get it! It's a great educational tool! Real and Raw. Very powerful film that will keep your youth/audience intrigued the entire time.
Published 3 months ago by Theresa hunter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recycled cons
It's a win-win situation when those who have done wrong can turn themselves around and become positive role models able to influence hard-to-reach young people. Read more
Published 3 months ago by meadowsweet
