Bomb the System

This is a movie about graffiti writers, and it movie Lee Quinones in it. What more do you need to know? The official Bomb the System websiteand trailer are here.

The synopsis from there:

“The average New Yorker sees upwards of 50 pieces of graffiti a day. But they never stop to think about the stories behind those pieces… this is one of those stories.”

Bomb the System is the first feature in over 20 years to delve into the world of graffiti art. The film, shot entirely on the streets of New York City, is the feature debut of 23-year-old writer/director Adam Bhala Lough.

Mark Webber (People I Know, Storytelling, The Laramie Project) leads a talented young ensemble cast as Blest, a 19-year-old graffiti writer fresh out of high school with no ambition for the future.
New York City is Blest’s playground. He spends his days stealing spray paint from local hardware stores - and his nights getting high and “bombing” the streets with his graffiti crew. He is the most wanted writer on the NYPD Vandal Squad’s hit list, and at the same time, is attracting attention from the local gallery scene.

But things quickly turn ugly when 15-year-old Lune, the youngest member of Blest’s crew, is arrested and brutalized by the NYPD. The crew retaliates by waging an all out “graffiti war” against the city: a war that ends up costing more than one life in the end.

Bomb the System is a true New York story - a cinematic poem dedicated to the art of graffiti, and to the city where it all began more than two decades ago.

And an advance review:

Bomb The System is an admirable film. Set in the world of graffiti writing in New York City, 23-year-old writer/director Adam Bhala Lough's feature debut uses this framework to tell the story of Anthony a.k.a. Blest (Mark Webber), a graffiti artist who needs to rise above his increasingly dangerous surroundings, although this environment provides him a comfort he is reluctant to leave behind. Lough's urban coming-of-age tale doesn't really move beyond the familiar trappings of the genre's narrative formula. It's obvious that the filmmaker was more inspired by the context of his screenplay than its content, but it's impossible to call this film a novelty piece. Lough's affection for his characters is too heartfelt and his visual ideas too unique for such a label to be warranted...

...Since this film is about the lives of outlaw artists, it's natural that Lough would incorporate a stylistically blunt approach. The director uses freeze frames, split screens, stills, etc. to create a sense-enveloping experience, and it's a method which does serve the material well, once you get past the initial flamboyance. Lough possesses a striking visual flair, but character and plot contrivances abound in his screenplay....

...

The world of graffiti is explored with a good amount of depth -- an especially helpful introduction for a novice (like me). Scenes of Blest and his friend Noble (Cesl Buchanan) "racking" paint cans are treated with a welcome comic touch, and we are exposed to the code of ethics that exists in this marginalized culture. Again, the culture appears to be Lough's main thrust here, but to a point of excess that occasionally obscures the story and characters.

Bomb The System is a trip into a very real underground world, and shows a filmmaker working in a territory of personal passion. Lough's skill and sincerity ultimately shine through, relegating most of the film's flaws to the world of very understandable first-time mistakes.