The Interrupters (2011)

A year in the life of a city grappling with urban violence.

Director:

Steve James

Writer:

Alex Kotlowitz (New York Times magazine article)

Stars:

Tio Hardiman, Ameena Matthews, Toya Batey

10 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tio Hardiman	...	Self
Ameena Matthews	...	Self
Toya Batey	...	Self
Cobe Williams	...	Self
Gary Slutkin	...	Self
Earl Sawyer	...	Self
Bud Oliver	...	Self
Kenneth Oliver	...	Self
Caprysha Anderson	...	Self
Sheikh Rasheed	...	Self
Alfreda Williams	...	Self
Mildred Jones	...	Self
Mildred Williams	...	Self
Lillian 'Madea' Smith	...	Self
Rashida	...	Self

Storyline

The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, this film is an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn, persistence of violence in our cities. Shot over the course of a year out of Kartemquin Films, The Interrupters captures a period in Chicago when it became a national symbol for the violence in our cities. During that period, the city was besieged by high-profile incidents, most notably the brutal beating of Derrion Albert, a Chicago High School student, whose death was caught on videotape. The film's main subjects work for an innovative organization, CeaseFire, which believes that the spread of violence mimics the spread of infectious diseases, and so the treatment should be similar: go after the most infected, and stop the infection at its source. The singular mission of the "...

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Plot Keywords:

redemption | revenge | gang violence | juvenile delinquency | two word title | 

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Taglines:

Every City Needs Its Heroes

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is Steve James' sixth feature length collaboration with his long-time filmmaking home, the non-profit Chicago production studio Kartemquin Films, and is also his fifth feature to screen at the Sundance Film Festival.

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.12 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Fun of the Fair
Written and Performed by Annabel Dudley
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

Chicago at War

Only 9 reviews?!! This movie needs to be seen!

I live in Chicago, and every morning the Chicago Tribune has a headline tallying the overnight wounded and dead. It's not at all unlike the beginning days of the Gulf War, where every news hour would begin with the number of soldiers killed that day. The difference being that those stories gradually subsided as the numbers dwindled, and they were based on deaths in an actual military conflict. There are neighborhoods in Chicago that are as much like war zones as any area of Afghanistan, but no one is paying attention.

"The Interrupters" doesn't really try to address why no one is paying attention. It doesn't need to, because everyone pretty much knows the answer even if they're not willing to admit it to themselves. These aren't rural white kids getting killed for their country; these are poor, disenfranchised black kids who most people don't care about. Instead, this documentary follows a few members of CeaseFire, a nonprofit group comprised of past gang members, street criminals, etc. who are now using a tactic of intervention to stop chains of violence before they spiral out of control. These people are deeply admirable. They're not trying to break up gangs, they're not police informers. They're simply trying to make one person understand how pointless it is to shoot another person, no matter what grievances are at play.

This film is by Steve James, the same director who did the tremendous "Hoop Dreams," and if it doesn't have that film's epic scope, it has a more immediate sense of urgency.

After watching "The Interrupters" my wife and I were instantly online looking into ways to support CeaseFire. I hope others do the same.

Grade: A+

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 August 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Untitled Steve James Project

Filming Locations:

Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,920, 31 July 2011

Gross USA:

$282,448

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$286,457

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kartemquin Films, Rise Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Color:

Color