KICKS (Justin Tipping). 84 minutes. Opens Friday (September 24). See listing. Rating: NNN
Call it Bicycle Thieves In The Hood. At least that’s what Justin Tipping’s simultaneously dazzling and frustrating debut, Kicks, seems to be shooting for.
Things jump off with a promising set-up. Pint-sized teen Brandon (Jahking Guillory, terrific) gets violently jumped for his coveted red-on-black Air Jordan 1s. He bounces back, in his mom’s slippers no less, to fight for his Kicks, followed along by his clownish friends (Christopher Meyer and Christopher Jordan Wallace, Biggie’s son).
They scour the East Bay and bump up against hardened gangbangers. It’s here that Tipping shows off his style (there’s plenty) while losing his footing.
We start paying less attention to Brandon’s self-discovery because the film’s more interested in a sexy ride-or-die tour where women are used as playthings and guns are repeatedly drawn. If there’s a raw look at street life here, it’s handled with kid gloves that keep the real stakes at a safe and whimsical distance.
