RATING: A-

Lionsgate presents a INDE Companies/4 Ways Entertainment production. Directed by Alex Ferrufino and Berger. Produced by David Mansanalez, Alex Ferrufino, Arie Rose Martinez, Berenice Molina, and Alan Luna. Written by Berger and David Mansanalez. Cinematography by Alejandro Lalinde. Edited by Josai Rodriguez-Villegas.

Stars Reed Shannon, TJ Atoms, Christopher A’mmanuel, Quincy “Galaxy” Brooks, Zach Sowers, Destiny Hernandez, Dylan Kenin, Anthony L. Fernandez, Steve Villegas, and Hazel Green.

The lives of two brothers change forever in this gritty urban thriller from the filmmaking duo into Berger and Alex Ferrufino.

The streets of San Francisco are gritty, where brothers Juju and Slim have had to deal with just trying to survive. Slim, trying to make ends meet, had worked in a shady business run by local thug Dolo. However, he has decided to get out of the game and find possible legitimacy in basketball. When Slim confronts Dolo about getting out of the business, especially after learning something very troubling, he is shot dead.

After learning Slim has been killed, Juju has no idea who is responsible. And once again, they are struggling so Juju turns to Dolo. Dolo offers Juju a job which leads to making money and living the fast lane. However, Juju slowly discovers there is a price for doing this that way and finds himself conflicted. When he learns Dolo is planning to screw over some local loan sharks he owes money too, Juju comes across a shocking revelation and must decide what is the best way to survive at this point.

If there is one thing I love, it’s watching new filmmakers and a new cast do their thing and this film takes us to a whole new world within San Francisco. When it comes to urban dramas, one will think of places like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, but San Francisco? That’s the intention of up-and-coming filmmaker Berner (real name Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr.), who with this film is destined to be a local hero. The film delves into the culture of “bipping”, which was a big thing in San Francisco, as seen through the eyes of two brothers. 

When it comes to casting, the young newcomer cast delivers some natural performances that don’t feel forced and as a result, make the film very smooth, emotional, and at times, chaotic. Reed Shannon breaks out as Julius, or Juju, a young man who finds himself “bipping” as he struggles to survive, especially when his older brother Slim, played by Zach Sowers, was involved in that line of work before quitting to go legit and attempt to find basketball as a potential career. 

Kudos also go out to Quincy “Galaxy” Brooks as Dolo, the vicious and money-driven thug who hires Juju. He looks to have good intentions for Juju despite the fact he is more evil than expected. But Brooks does it so well that with the right future projects, he could be good as either another villainous thug-type or even go as far as role-reversing and play an innocent trapped in a dangerous world, much like his co-star Shannon does here. Dolo is so devious that in the third act, we see how far he’s willing to go to prove that, in the immortal words of Gordon Gekko, “greed is good” and will go to great lengths to ensure he has all the money and power. 

If you miss the good ol’ days of urban dramas and yet, want to see something fresh and exciting within that genre, then Splash City has to be in your watchlist. This film is living proof that an up-and-coming filmmaker and cast could bring something new to the world of urban dramas while highlighting a culture familiar with its setting. 

The film will debut in select theaters on July 20.