FORGED DVD Review
Wow. There really isn’t much else to say about FORGED. This film was amazing. Directed by William Wedig and written by Wedig with Manny Perez (who also stars in the film), Forged is a movie that will make you really sit down and contemplate how you’d react to the situations that Machito is put into by his own father.
Chuco, who has served time for the murder of his wife in front of his young son, has been released from prison. Struggling to find a way to reconnect with Machito, Chuco heads straight to his son to try to make amends. What he finds is a very different teenage Machito than the young boy he left behind those years ago.
Machito is working on the streets, a male prostitute. He blames his father for everything that’s happened to him in his short life (which, as an audience member we understand and sympathize with), and vows to get revenge on Chuco for destroying any chance he had at being happy.
Chuco is lured back into his old “gang” life, but ends up botching a drug deal and stealing a LOT of money from the wrong people. He wants to use the stolen cash to start a new life with his son, but things don’t work out the way that he plans. What does ensue is a chase between father and son, and the gang that Chuco stole from.
Forged is gritty, it’s real, and it’s violent. There are scenes that are not for the squeamish, including one pretty graphic sex scene between a pedophile and Marchito. While the scene is brilliantly acted, I found it very difficult to watch, which I suppose is what the director was shooting for.
The musical score is BEAUTIFUL, which actually took me by surprise for such a gritty movie. The musical queues are pretty much flawless and add some hope to an otherwise hopeless story. Manny Perez (Chuco) is by far the best actor of the bunch, but that’s not to say the supporting cast doesn’t stand out. It’s just that Perez delivers his lines with such passion and a genuine performance that will leave you wanting more.
As for the DVD itself, it’s fully of special features which makes the viewing even more enjoyable! There are 9 featurettes showing a slew of behind the scenes footage, from “making of” and stories from the writer and director on the creation of Forged. Also, if you’re into this sort of thing, there are two audio commentary tracks on the DVD. I’m all for an inside peek into the making of a movie, however, two audio commentaries were a bit much for me. I just don’t have the stamina to watch a (really) depressing movie that many times in a row.
Forged doesn’t end happily, and for that matter it doesn’t start happily, either. But it is a film that I believe everyone should see just for the obvious passion that went into its creation.
You can purchased the Forged DVD on Amazon.
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