Hype can be a good thing but it can also be bad. Four Corners ain't a bad movie at all but it does not live up to all its hype unfortunately. Yet it still has its redeeming qualities. Let’s dig in ...
The moviemakers sales pitch is that Four Corners is about the long feud between the prison gangs the 28s and 26's (see
this for more info on SA prison gang culture) - how this feud has spread to the streets of the townships, concentrating here on the mean streets of the Western Cape.
With the young Ricardo being the metaphor of the hundreds of children in the Western Cape who have to make a choice between pursing their dreams and mitigating life in the margins of society with poverty, absent parents and gang culture thrown into the mix
Yes, this is not the Cape Town you will see in the DA posters. Ian Gabriel (the director) captures the slums and abject poverty that surrounds one of SA’s most beautiful cities very well.
The Cape flats and townships like Gugulethu look like something out of District 9 and it’s hard to believe that people’s communities can be so run down 20 years into the new South Africa.
The other good thing the movie does well is its portrayal of the prison gang rituals and lingo. The prison tattoos, hierarchy and lingo is well portrayed … - too well. If you're not reading the sub-titles you may not understand a single thing the guys are saying.
Which brings me to the performances. The young Jezzriel Skei, the non-actor who plays the lead of Ricardo has a sensitive and touching performance that is amazing - especially considering he has no formal training and this is his first acting gig.
Brendon Daniels as Farakhan, the gangster on the reformation road, is decent. The role does not ask too much of him but he pulls off the strong silent type well and can be menacing when required.
For me the film belongs to Irshaad Ally as Gasant, the leader of the 26 gang “the Americans”. The man pulls a Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, a Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York … he takes the role and chews each scene he's in.
Irshaad throws the kitchen sink and everything into his performance …there’s conviction, there’s gangster swag … there’s the man-child and there’s Satan’s little helper all in one performance.
If there’s justice come SAFTA time, his performance will be rewarded. Guess having lived in the Cape Flats Irshaad and Co. have a lot to build on for their performances but he stands heads and shoulders above the other guys.
Yet what takes the air out of Four Corners is that its dealing with way too many things that are vying for its attention - to such an extent that the film suffers when it comes to momentum and focus.
There are too many issues that the movie covers ... redemption, gangs, father-sons and poverty just to mention a few. Then the plots are not so cohesive - some work against each other - so certain plot points are glanced over, certain relationships are not as tight as they could be. The middle of the film feels very bloated and in need of some serious tweaking and streamlining. Fortunately the last act picks up a bit.
If not for a very messy middle section, this film could have been a classic but it has its heart in the right place and raises poignant issues around family, community and redemption.
It also forces us to re-look at the crises in our community (especially the Coloured ones) plagued by gangs. It asks that surely there is a better way for communities to exist? There’s need for social and political will to change the living conditions of our people. It may be flawed at times but I think it going to create its own cult following.
Rating: ***
*junk **almost bearable ***now we cooking ****almost perfect *****classic ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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