Slam (1998)

Slam tells the story of Ray Joshua, an original, gifted young MC trapped in a war-zone housing project known as Dodge City. Unable to find a job, Ray copes with the despair and poverty of ... See full summary »

Director:

Marc Levin

Writers:

Marc Levin (story), Richard Stratton (story),

Stars:

Saul Williams, Sonja Sohn, Bonz Malone

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Saul Williams	...	Ray Joshua
Sonja Sohn	...	Lauren Bell
Bonz Malone	...	Hopha
Lawrence Wilson	...	Big Mike
Beau Sia	...	Jimmy Huang
Andre Taylor	...	China
Momolu Stewart	...	Bay (Jail Rapper)
Ron Jones	...	Do Wop Cop
Reamer Shedrick	...	Do Wop Cop
Allan E. Lucas	...	Chief C.O.
Dominic Chianese Jr.	...	Officer Dom
Jerome Goldman	...	Jail Class Poet 'Why'
DJ Renegade	...	Party Poet 'Diminuendo in Blue'
Liza Jessie Peterson	...	Slam Poet 'Ice Cream'
Taylor Mali	...	Slam Poet 'Like'

Storyline

Slam tells the story of Ray Joshua, an original, gifted young MC trapped in a war-zone housing project known as Dodge City. Unable to find a job, Ray copes with the despair and poverty of his neighborhood by using his wits and verbal talent.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | prison | racial slur | urban | poetry | 

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Taglines:

Words make sense of a world that won't.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, a sex scene and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

Production Company (Offline Entertainment Group) Trimark Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Slam - A szó fegyver

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$34,887 (USA) (9 October 1998)

Gross:

$982,214 (USA) (18 December 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Off Line Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Ray is on his way to the poetry night, he gets on the metro at the Cleveland Park station, rides, and gets off at the metro at the same station: Cleveland Park.

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Quotes

Ray Joshua: You servin' time outside of the penitentiary, doin' exactly what they want you to do: POW! POW! all day. That's the motherfuckin' master plan, niggy.

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Soundtracks

"Primary Inversion"
Performed by DJ Spooky (as DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid)
Written by DJ Spooky (as Paul D. Miller)
Under license from Asphodel Ltd.

User Reviews

Moving, thought-provoking

The best films, in my opinion, are those which challenge your conventions and beliefs and really make you think. Slam did that in Spades. I was completely lost in it. The cinema-verite style (the film was shot remarkably like a documentary) completely drew me in. Slam will stick with me for a long time to come.

Also, anyone who knows Washington, D.C. will recognize that this was a great use of D.C. as the setting for a movie. Usually D.C. is used as just a pretty backdrop, but in this movie you saw real sites like the Projects of Southeast and Capitol Hill's Eastern Market, and recognized that D.C. is a city of real people and not just a place aliens blow up.