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

4 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 | female nudity | urban setting | racial slur | 

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Taglines:

All in Line for a Slice of Devil Pie.

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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

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

Anansi Abstrakt
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

A Film Not Afraid to Tell the Truth

I happened upon Slam quite by coincidence one evening. I just got an updated cable system with all of these channels and movies and music. So I was surfing and I came upon Slam. I had no idea what it was. I had never heard of the movie before, but I was familiar with Saul Williams and his work. I had seen him on a documentary a few years ago. I thought the film was brilliant in the sense that it took a familiar topic and refreshed it. Slam was intense and real. It was preachy without being trite, redundant, cliche, or just plain corny. The actors were totally believable. I bought it. I bought it all, hook, line, and sinker. And in the end, that's all I can ask of a film, to take me somewhere I want to go, but haven't been before. This film was not afraid to tell the truth. And again, more importantly it was not afraid to also tell us that there are no easy solutions or easy roads out.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rozgrywka

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,009,819

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,009,819

Company Credits

Production Co:

Off Line Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1