There are stories that can help us understand situations that we might not have the opportunity to experience directly. Rapper and businessman Berner, along with co-director Alex Ferrufino, has dropped us into the smash-and-grab world in the Bay Area, where we see how one bad decision can lead to another. While it’s true that there isn’t much that is unique about Splash City, the film boasts gripping performances that allow this crime thriller to rise above its sometimes lacking script.
Brothers Slim (Zach Sowers) and Juju (Reed Shannon) are two men leading different lives. Slim, who has been involved with gangs, has found a way out through basketball. Slim is in love with Destiny (Destiny Hernandez) and has plans to propose to her, but the ring that he buys her is stolen by Dolo (Quincy Brooks), who Juju still works with as part of his “bipping” crew. Tensions between Slim and Dolo escalate, and Juju has to choose between the brother he loves and a job that is stressful but profitable.
When Splash City is focused on Slim and Juju, it absolutely soars. There is a tenderness between them that is played out beautifully by Sowers and Shannon, and I found myself wishing we could spend more time with the pair. Their relationship is the beating heart of this movie, and every moment we’re with them is really lovely.
One of the other positive aspects of Splash City is that it creates some genuine tension during the smash-and-grab sections of the film. It’s shown that it can be lucrative, but also risky, and that suspense runs in every one of the scenes. We are never sure if this will be the one where something bad happens, and that keeps us invested in the story.
Where the movie falls down a bit is with the women in the film. Slim and Juju’s mother feels like a non-character, so when there is a dramatic scene between her and Juju, it carries little weight because her character barely matters. It is a similar story with Destiny. Slim’s planned engagement to her is the inciting incident for what happens in Splash City, but once the proposal is interrupted by the robbery, she drops out of the film almost entirely. Which is a shame, because these characters could have enhanced the story.
There is also a sense that we have seen some of the aspects of this movie before. There are some things I don’t want to spoil, but when they happen, they feel very trope-y in ways that aren’t entirely satisfying. I’m sure they are true to how events can happen, but they also start to feel a bit stale without a bit more emotional heft behind them. Still, the end surprised me, and that helps the film feel like more than a warmed-over version of something we’ve seen before.
More than anything, Splash City is about how every choice has a consequence, and how those consequences can pile up and start making choices for you. We can sometimes ask ourselves how someone can get tangled up in a world of crime and violence, but we forget that there are forces outside of those aspects that make it hard for people to leave. And sometimes, the splash is big enough that you just don’t want to.
Rating: 3/5
Splash City is currently playing in select theaters.
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