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Review:  ‘Five Star’ sheds real light on N.Y. gang life

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Reality meets fiction in “Five Star,” Keith Miller’s low-key glimpse into gang life in New York City. James “Primo” Grant, a real member of the Bloods, stars as Primo, a “five star” general in the gang. He’s on the other side of the life now, more focused on being a father to his small children. But he’s still in the game and takes his deceased mentor’s son, John (John Diaz), under his wing, promising to teach him the ropes.

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Miller drops the audience into this world on the street level, using a naturalistic, observational aesthetic to convey this story. Primo and John represent the two different lives on either side of the gang experience — one man young and hungry for opportunity, the other older, subdued, just trying to be there and provide for his family but still caught up in the life. Grant is a compelling screen presence, never raising his voice but exuding a coiled tension that could easily be unleashed. He’s a streetwise gangster philosopher, musing on the existential questions on life, death, manhood, the life he’s lived. During a bar mitzvah scene, he contemplates the differences in coming of age that he experienced compared with those of the young kids at the party.

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The loose structure of “Five Star” lends to the realism and documentary feel of the film but can often make it a bit hard to hook into the narrative. However, it’s eye-opening to see an indie approach to this genre.

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“Five Star.”

MPAA rating: None.

Running time: 1 hour, 23 minutes.

Playing: At Arena Cinema, Hollywood.

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