Bomb City (2017)

Director: Jameson Brooks
Stars: Dave Davis, Glenn Morshower, Logan Huffman
Runtime: 95 minutes

Performances: 5/10
Screenplay: 4/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 8/10
Editing: 7/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 

Verdict: "Bomb City" is the true story of a hate crime that took place in a small town in Texas back in 1997. The narrative is told mostly through flashbacks, with only a few scenes occurring in a courthouse where the case of that crime is being presented. And this leads me to the first problem I had with the movie. The courthouse scenes were much more interesting than the flashbacks, and I can't help but feel that had the script focused more on it, the film would've been much more compelling. However, I do get what the screenwriter was trying to accomplish via these flashbacks, which was to humanize and develop some of the main characters, but it didn't really work for me. Instead, the characters came across as two-dimensional, which is problematic when they're supposed to be punk teenagers. The dialogue written for them felt cheesy at times as well, and the actors portraying them lacked emotional range. Behind the camera, Jameson Brooks did a pretty decent job, using shaky camera movement which perfectly fit with the chaotic theme of the movie. I also enjoyed the ending of the film which I found to be powerful despite it not being well built up. "Bomb City", in the end, could've been remembered as the modern "American History X", but ends up being an enjoyable but forgettable critique of the American judiciary system. 

Final Grade: 5/10