Customer Reviews

Illegal Tender

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have to give John Singleton major respect for giving Puerto Rican actors their time to shine. I was going to see this movie regardless because I think Rick Gonzalez is gorgeous. (It's a weakness, but if an attractive man plays a lead role, chances are it's going to catch my eye.) However, I read in JET magazine that the cast was many shades of Puerto Rican people, and I really respected that. African American actors get shunned plenty of times for trying to go against stereotypical roles, and Latino actors absolutely get treated the same if not worse, so for Singleton to put out a movie with a dominant PR cast was something I really respected.

Now on to the movie. Not only did I respect the cast variation, but I also liked how Singleton took this movie against the grain. Instead of having Latinos in a poverty-stricken neighborhood looking mean as hell, he went against the stereotype and made the main characters upper class in an extremely nice neighborhood. Whatever car Wilson (Gonzalez's character) was driving was FILTHY GORGEOUS! Wilson grew up with the spoiled, rich kid lifestyle thanks to his mother fleeing his parents' past. But the witness protection program is a joke, and his mother has involuntarily made herself a subtle gangster...no, a woman protecting her children who just happens to know how to shoot. When Wilson finally finds out that his rich kid life has to stop cold after a visitor arrives, all hell breaks loose, and he's on a mission to save his mother.

Pros: The dialogue, the scenery, Wilson and his mother, and the plot of the story were intriguing enough to not want the movie to end. I grinned, frowned, and laughed, and I never got bored. Sadly, Wilson's gullible character fit the description of one of those rich kids who thinks they can solve everything without having an ounce of street smarts but being book smart. I thought his reactions were accurate, from his shaking hands to his travels. The handshake between him and his little brother was entertaining though. I'd never seen Tego Calderon much besides in a couple songs, so it was interesting to see him act. He did a pretty good job too! I don't know if Wanda De Jesus (who plays Millie the mother) used to model, but she is beautiful. Striking complexion and one pretty woman. In the cab scene, I was thinking those two would be a great-looking couple although she's a bit older than him. Speaking of attractive, if this movie was really shot in Puerto Rico, this island is even more beautiful than I thought.

Cons: Wilson's girlfriend was too goofy for me. I guess he needed someone to add more depth to his role, and it made Wilson's character even more attractive, but I wanted his girlfriend to be less vulnerable. She was way too damsel in distress for my taste, and I don't think in real life the movie would have ended with the same results those two had. However, whenever I saw Rick kissing her, you could see all my teeth. Man, he's one good-looking cat. The only other con is that there was entirely too much shooting in the middle of the day in the suburbs, and not in those technical suburbs. These were seriously nice neighborhoods where you left your car windows down, so how in the world did the police not show up so many times? In the hood, it makes sense, but not in that neighborhood.

Overall though, it was a great movie, and I'd recommend it.

Illegal tender should have been released on the big screen. If you like it you should also view "Slow Burn". Illegal Tender is a blend on "Miami Vice" and "Heat". I watched it on OnDemand from home and was looking for the sound track when I wrote this review of the movie. Get this movie and "Slow Burn"

This movie is amazing! I couldnt stop watching it...I watched it like 3 times in a row. It's raw, real and touching all at the same time. I like it because it's not brutal and hardcore to the point where you're disgusted. I absolutely loved it!

The movie Illegal Tender was good. The movie kept you on the edge of your seat and you didn't really know what to expect next. Great Movie. The characters were great and the mother really did everything that she could for her children.

"Illegal Tender" is a very well put together, written, directed
and acted movie!---Point Blank!!--Period!!
It is about family coming together, it's about protecting the ones you hold dear, it's about the the young-headz
respecting the struggles of the ones who came before them,
all wrapped within this urban gangster thriller from a
modern latino perspective. ----I LOVE THIS FILM!!----
Wanda DeJesus, Rick Gonzalez, Manny Perez, Tego Caulderon all
pull it off with gusto and made me believe it and get
into the characters 100%!!
Rick Gonzalez is one to watch y'all!!--The man's going
places, and he isn't bad on the eyes either!
All-n-All, money well spent and I would recommend this DVD
to anyone who likes good action and drama.--Buy It!!

Okay the little boy in this movie is a great actor. The Mama is hot for her age (and I'm a gal.) The guy needed help- serioulsy- but this is all besides the point. This movie was a pretty good movie in exception to the horrible representation of Puerto Ricans- every ethnicity/race has segments in the drug market but the idea that a supposedly educated and intelligent woman would make references- I wish I could quote but I can't-however comments regarding success and how there are stains in the background of everyone who achieves it, comments that say that this money is deserved and well earned because his father earned it selling drugs and that they got this life because of, in a sense, his fathers good character- a good person who cared for them and wanted the best for them and thats why he sold drugs. WTH! The statements on their own are bad enough but the fact that the - ***spoiler here***- father cheated on her and got another girl pregnant (she doesn't know this) further invalidates this claim. The movie would have been great if the mothers character was sensible- but she is supposedly educated yet she has this mentality that is found in the ghetto and that is far from a middle class value- and its not because she came from the ghetto because growing up in one not only was I raised with middle class values but I knew plenty of people who were too. Its sort of like the idea of White Trash- there are (plenty I am sure) poorer Whites with these middle class values who some still consider to be White Trash (because of their social conditions) but then there are those who deviate not only from the majorities class status but also from their ideals. Point being the mom had what I and my friends call "the ghetto mentality" and this mentality is by far not a trademark of everyone in this segment- tisk tisk. Thank god that a John Singleton made this movie because if a Puerto Rican had made it I would be ashamed. My main comment I guess would be that if people with deviant ideals annoy you then this film will also. The characters in the film aren't "ghetto" by the way its just the moms thought process regarding what is and isn't justifiable to achieve success. As for those of you who expect a movie like Scarface this is far from it- Scarface is way violent and has an in depth view of the "drug world," characteristics not in this movie.

My wife told me bout his movie when were just going out & ever since I saw it, I just gotta say its one of my favorite movies I have ever seen

1 of my fav movies. I dont understand why it has any bad reviews. I guess people dont know when they have seen a good movie. Especially a role of a STRONG mother that would do anything to protect her family

this movie was touching, and I did not see it as a venue for Puerto Rican Acting....I hav watched it more than 2x!!! The ending was moving and I lamost wanted to give her son a hug...I guess you know I am a FEMALE!!! MEN ENJOY THIS TOO..

The service is like other times I purchased from amazon ! fast and reliable as allways ...



Thanks guys