By TUREKA TURK
IIlchlll.n Citizen
Behind every news report that
shows a young Black t nager
entangled in the trappings of
crime, violence and the system,
there is a story. There are
sons why young Black kids sell
guns, drugs and hustle. HBO's
"Strapped" is proof of that.
Gracing the 'airwaves on Au­
gust 21, theHBOShowcasep -
• entation chronicl the life of
young Black man as gets trapped
by the tangled web of the system.
Actor Bokeem Woodbine i
Diquan Mitchell, a former con­
victed drug d ler, trying to go
straight. Diquan big id of
what a Black 'man' really is, one
who takes care of his responsi­
bilities. In the process of trying
to evolve into this id al Black
man, Diquan runs into obstacles
that millions of young Black men
and women face everyday, cir­
cumstantial things that breathe
life into the saying "When it
rains, it pours." Things like the
justice system in America.
On his quest for doing the
right thing, Diquan i 'black­
mailed' by a white police offi r
who "just d guns." The offi- ,
cer, focusing primarily on his job
instead of the community that
employs him, holds Diquan's
pregnant girlfriend's, Latisha,
sentencing as hostage for infor-
'mation on gun running in
Diquan's neighborhood. .
"Strapped" refreshingly takes
a look at the problems of the sys­
tem and how th y affect the in­
ner-city youth that most just see
on the evening new. Unlike
"Menace II Society", the film
tak the ills of society on an­
other level, pointing the accu ing
finger at the corrupt cycle of th
"justice" system. It should make
those unfamiliar with the str
(those familiar live with the
question everyday) wonder how
urban youths are supposed to
grow up straight in a crooked
system ..
AS DIQUAN AY, "Ain't
nobody making gu�s in my
n ighborhood. Nobody' front­
ing money for gun factories
whe I live." And he is right,
But his observation is one that is
frequently overlooked when
dealing with guns and drugs on
the higher level, perhaps even
purposely.
With a fist full of empty prom­
ises from the officer and bei ng
jacked around by the system de­
signed to protect him, Diquan
enters a state which will qu -
tion his loyalty, determination to
do the right thing and get out of
the neighborhood, and wheth r
being his ideal Black man will be
as easy as he thought.
A string of misunderstand­
ings and circumstances shroud
Diquan's goal of leaving the city
with his pregnant love and going
straight, all caused by his entan-·
glement in a system that acts as
a ·stick)' web that continues to
pull him down further. Yet after
each and every incident, the
mercurial Diquan rises to decide
wh t he should do next instead
of accepting doom.
Diquan is smart, which may
surprise many who aren't famil­
iar with inner-city youths. He
realizes that being poor
shouldn't make you dumb, nor
should it limit you into thinking
of a short term future instead of
a long term one.
Each move Diquan makes is a
well-thought out one, yet when it
rains it pours. Through it all
Diquan remains determined not
to' up t loyalty of hi pee­
ple, determined not to be like his
fa th r and the fathers of his is­
ters who disappeared into the
underworld of the street (per­
haps they never thought about
what a Man really is) and deter­
mined not to succumb to a
doomed fate.
" TRAPPED" IS actor For­
est Whitaker's (''A Rage In Har­
lem", "The Crying Game") debut
as a director and he makes his
dir torial entrance. Beautiful
touch to the film include spo­
radic images of Diquan and his
boy, Bamboo, dancing in an
empty field on top of some con­
traption to hardcore hip-hop
(Naughty By Nature, Onyx).
The young men look as if the
dancing, the Tai Chi of the hip
hop world, is their rejuvenated
escape from the realities of the
Bokeem Woodbine (Oiquan Mitchell) and Fredro (Bamboo), of the hit rap group Onyx, are
two inner-city teenagers who get caught up in the illegal gun trade.
Kal Joy Goodwin (Lati ha Jordan) and Bokeem Woodbine (Dlquan Mitcell) hare a tender
moment.
world around them.
Also, the opening equence of
Diquan riding through New
York on his' bik is innovative
and evidence of Whitaker's tal­
ents as a director.
Whitaker also u sound ef-
fects in an unconventional way,
to reinforce common actions on
the sc n. By recruiting Jam
Master Jay, of Run DMC fame,
as the music upervisor, the film
is overflowing with up-to-date
phatjams that run through your
blood stream as the film does its
best to entrance you.
"Strapped", like some current
films that target and explore in­
ner-city youths, has a list of rap
stars that loan their face to the
film. But, unlike the other films,
these rap sta don't try to take
over the job of acto . Look for .
Chi Ali, Monie Love, Busta
Rhymes, Skoob and Drayze of
Das EFX, and Yo Yo in parts that
don't mirror thos rap parts of
the fumblingly foul "comedy",
''Who's the Man?".
One good urpris is rap artist
Fredro, from th group Onyx,
portraying Bamboo.
ON U for the
film is its lack of strong Black
women in the cast. Diquan's
mother is portrayed as helpl
and lacking control of her chil­
dren and her life. One of
Diquan's iste as
lazy and ambi ion! . Diqu n'
grandmother plays no 1 sig­
nificant importance, altough in
the real world, grandmothers
have me th backbon of the
B lack family. And Latisha,
Diquan's girlfriend, flies in a fan­
tasy world, depending on Diquan
to get her out of all the trouble
she gets into herself.
Dare I compare "Strapped" to
Martin SCOr<:ESe'S "Goodfellas"]
Maybe, maybe not, But it has
the same flow as the acclaimed
film and hopefully, the same
kind of attention will follow
"Strapped".
My one hope for "Strapped- is
that it will get young Black kids
to start thinking long term in­
s d of limiting themselves to
just getting past the day. Be­
ca use, as "Strapped" enforces,
when it rains, it pours.
Fore t Whitaker I director of "Strapped".