Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008)

75% of critics liked it
(20 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(1,236 ratings)

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, Dogtown and Z-Boys director Stacy Peralta's unflinching documentary chronicles one of the longest-running civil wars in the history of America though a deeply humanistic lens. The Bloods and Crips are two of South Los Angeles' most notorious… More Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker, Dogtown and Z-Boys director Stacy Peralta's unflinching documentary chronicles one of the longest-running civil wars in the history of America though a deeply humanistic lens. The Bloods and Crips are two of South Los Angeles' most notorious African-American gangs. While many outsiders simply cannot understand the decades-long cycle of despair and destruction that has come to define their daily lives, the individuals who comprise each gang are not simply mindless, gun-toting thugs, but real people with real families who have become caught up in a struggle from which the only escape is often death. Beginning with an illuminating look at the genesis of L.A.'s gang culture, Crips and Bloods: Made in America follows the bloody feud that would stretch on for a grueling four decades, revealing the turf wars, hierarchy, family structure, gun culture, and stringent rules through interviews with gangsters past and present, as well as experts, activists, and academics. Throughout the film, the numerous issues blanketing the streets of South L.A. with a deep sense of dread are reflected upon by gang intervention experts, former gang members, writers, and academics in an effort to examine the erosion of identity that helps to perpetrate black self-hatred, prison culture, and the disappearance of the black father in the home. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Stacy Peralta
Written By: Sam George, Stacy Peralta
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jan 20, 2008 Wide
On DVD: May 26, 2009
Studio: New Video

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Crips and Bloods hasn't been made out of moral anger or a sense of conspiracy. As matters of journalism, sociology, and humanitarianism, the movie is incurious at best. At worst, it's a recruitment video.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Peralta is a compassionate filmmaker.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
Deals almost entirely in known facts, but it's still a revelatory film.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
The movie feels less like a traditional documentary than an educational video. But it works the way he wants it to: you'll walk out feeling both enlightened and dismayed.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
With Crips and Bloods: Made in America, the director Stacy Peralta manages to put a human face on a subject that tends to inspire inflamed debate.
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice
It's a lot to take in, and Peralta does an admirable job cramming tons of history and insight into his reportage on how the 'hood came to be.
Jennifer Merin, About.com
Stacy Peralta's insider glimpse at the lives of LA gangs is a genuine shocker.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
The film works best as a history lesson of the L.A. black experience, arguing that economic neglect, institutional racism and covert government operations fueled the 1965 and 1992 riots and created the leadership vacuum in which gangs took root.
Robert Davis, Paste Magazine
Stacy Peralta's visual style and sense of storytelling when applied to a weightier subject than surfing or skating actually works surprisingly well.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Don't miss this.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Stacy Peralta's documentary traces the emergence of gangs in L.A., as well as their contexts and causes.
Sara Maria Vizcarrondo, Boxoffice Magazine
A solid picture that leaves much for discussion, Crips and Bloods maps the paths, even if it leaves some lots vacant along the way.
Drew Toal, Time Out New York
The self-perpetuating cycle of hopelessness, ignorance and poverty is certainly a depressing spectacle. But it's not a very revelatory one.
Kam Williams, AALBC.com
Expect to well up while watching emotional tableaus of grieving mothers burying their babies at funerals and simply staring blankly into the camera with tears streaming down their pained faces.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
A breathlessly edited doc about gang warfare in L.A.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
Peralta's presentation is so concise and efficient that it often overshadows the fact that some of his doc's contentions aren't particularly novel.
Karina Longworth, SpoutBlog
Effective and selectively comprehensive, fascinating and frustrating.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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MJS M

Perhaps the most important functions that a documentary can serve today is to step in when the mainstream media has failed. On issue that the media has most definitely failed in this world of national security, foreign wars, and widespread policy debates are the problems plaguing the… More
Perhaps the most important functions that a documentary can serve today is to step in when the mainstream media has failed. On issue that the media has most definitely failed in this world of national security, foreign wars, and widespread policy debates are the problems plaguing the inner city. It was indeed refreshing to see a documentary that deals with these issues that people seem to have forgotten about since the early 90s. In principle I find the documentary?s message that the Crips and Bloods emerged because of the way society silenced any mainstream form of black empowerment. Unfortunately there were aspects of execution that held this film back from achieving its full potential. The film starts strong, painting a strong picture of what it was like to be a black man in 60s Las Angeles, then shortly after its vivid depiction of the Watts riots it suddenly flashes forward to the present and begins playing a ton of interviews with gang members. These are interesting interviews, but they are simply played at random and feel like an interruption of the film?s narrative. It feels like they had a lot of good footage that they insisted on shoehorning in. The film eventually recovers, but never regains its momentum. This was a fairly good watch but it could have been a whole lot better.
Christopher B

What starts out as a great doc eventually becomes a potential TV special. The doc starts out strong, explaining the beginnings of gang mentality and how oppression brought about the need for disenfranchised youths to band together. Then sadly, it just breezes over the formation of… More
What starts out as a great doc eventually becomes a potential TV special. The doc starts out strong, explaining the beginnings of gang mentality and how oppression brought about the need for disenfranchised youths to band together. Then sadly, it just breezes over the formation of the Crips and Bloods, and what made them what they are. Lots of interviews with gang members, some who have left the gangs to start community organizations, but it feels more like a anti-gang promo than a real documentary. After enjoying fictional shows like The Shield and Southland I am really curious to have a real look at South L.A. Unfortunately I don't think this is it.