Search - Illegal Tender (Widescreen Edition) on DVD

Puerto Rico Represents

Shamontiel L. Vaughn | Chicago | 09/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to give John Singleton major respect for giving Puerto Rican actors their time to shine. I was going to see this movie regardless because I think Rick Gonzalez is gorgeous. (It's a weakness, but if an attractive man plays a lead role, chances are it's going to catch my eye.) However, I read in JET magazine that the cast was many shades of Puerto Rican people, and I really respected that. African American actors get shunned plenty of times for trying to go against stereotypical roles, and Latino actors absolutely get treated the same if not worse, so for Singleton to put out a movie with a dominant PR cast was something I really respected.



Now on to the movie. Not only did I respect the cast variation, but I also liked how Singleton took this movie against the grain. Instead of having Latinos in a poverty-stricken neighborhood looking mean as hell, he went against the stereotype and made the main characters upper class in an extremely nice neighborhood. Whatever car Wilson (Gonzalez's character) was driving was FILTHY GORGEOUS! Wilson grew up with the spoiled, rich kid lifestyle thanks to his mother fleeing his parents' past. But the witness protection program is a joke, and his mother has involuntarily made herself a subtle gangster...no, a woman protecting her children who just happens to know how to shoot. When Wilson finally finds out that his rich kid life has to stop cold after a visitor arrives, all hell breaks loose, and he's on a mission to save his mother.



Pros: The dialogue, the scenery, Wilson and his mother, and the plot of the story were intriguing enough to not want the movie to end. I grinned, frowned, and laughed, and I never got bored. Sadly, Wilson's gullible character fit the description of one of those rich kids who thinks they can solve everything without having an ounce of street smarts but being book smart. I thought his reactions were accurate, from his shaking hands to his travels. The handshake between him and his little brother was entertaining though. I'd never seen Tego Calderon much besides in a couple songs, so it was interesting to see him act. He did a pretty good job too! I don't know if Wanda De Jesus (who plays Millie the mother) used to model, but she is beautiful. Striking complexion and one pretty woman. In the cab scene, I was thinking those two would be a great-looking couple although she's a bit older than him. Speaking of attractive, if this movie was really shot in Puerto Rico, this island is even more beautiful than I thought.



Cons: Wilson's girlfriend was too goofy for me. I guess he needed someone to add more depth to his role, and it made Wilson's character even more attractive, but I wanted his girlfriend to be less vulnerable. She was way too damsel in distress for my taste, and I don't think in real life the movie would have ended with the same results those two had. However, whenever I saw Rick kissing her, you could see all my teeth. Man, he's one good-looking cat. The only other con is that there was entirely too much shooting in the middle of the day in the suburbs, and not in those technical suburbs. These were seriously nice neighborhoods where you left your car windows down, so how in the world did the police not show up so many times? In the hood, it makes sense, but not in that neighborhood.



Overall though, it was a great movie, and I'd recommend it."

Great Action & Suspense!!--More Than Just Another Gangster T

MUZIK4THAPEOPLE!! | Orlando, FL | 01/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Illegal Tender" is a very well put together, written, directed

and acted movie!---Point Blank!!--Period!!

It is about family coming together, it's about protecting the ones you hold dear, it's about the the young-headz

respecting the struggles of the ones who came before them,

all wrapped within this urban gangster thriller from a

modern latino perspective. ----I LOVE THIS FILM!!----

Wanda DeJesus, Rick Gonzalez, Manny Perez, Tego Caulderon all

pull it off with gusto and made me believe it and get

into the characters 100%!!

Rick Gonzalez is one to watch y'all!!--The man's going

places, and he isn't bad on the eyes either!

All-n-All, money well spent and I would recommend this DVD

to anyone who likes good action and drama.--Buy It!!"