There seems to be a growing trend these days to have ex cons on TV and spoken about their experiences. Just look at Gypsy Rose Blanchard whose life is undoubtedly going to be a blockbuster one in the near future. Speaking of which, there are a couple of cool feature films that are set to be released on Peacock in February. Which of these is based on Quawntay “Bosco” Adams’s writings, a real life ex con who broke out of jail, got caught and sent back and after serving his time now talks about his story as a free man. Boscos may have the more restrained ‘TV movie’ feel to it but it is a return to the genre of action prison movies, mostly thanks to the likes of veterans Tyrese Gibson, Thomas Jane, and Vivica A. Fox.
First, the background story: Young Quawntay ’Bosco’ Adams was convicted in the attempted possession of marijuana and sentenced to thirtyfive(35) years in prison. Camden Randall plays the role of a younger Quawntay here and with his few scenes, particularly against Tyrese Gibson his father, and Vivica A. Fox who plays his mother, shows potential to be a Hollywood performer in future. Our tale begins in Compton house in the year 1985. Until then young Quawntay is a little boy facing tough words from his father about life in the streets and maybe, years later, it is this father who helped shaping ”Bosco” to be able to come face to face with life, and land himself in a maximum security prison.
Aubrey Joseph Cloak & Dagger takes over at this older stage of Bosco when he is confined to his cell, and makes his way to his private cell but with a hearing of bull, a brilliant John Lewis, who is his cell neighbor and communicating so forms a kind of friendship. Bull indeed is a driving force of the 2nd part of the narrative. It is because of him that a lonely husky gebber who is Bosco is introduced to a phone number of a lonely hearts club. Ahsan Rafiq. And after that, Tammy by Nikki Blonsky Hairspray, gets the call after Bosco takes a chance. She may be here to help him get out of here .
There’s a unique reason why Bosco wishes, now more than ever, to break the prison bars looking at him every day. He is now a father and this is news brought to him by Hunt, the prison warden. Many millennials became acquainted with the boisterous actor Jane, whether it was during the popular movies Boogie Nights and The Punisher or the HBO series Hung, and we’re surely happy to see him back.
In an unfortunate manner, he on some occasions beats up the defenseless Bosco and on a daily basis he focuses on the security camera installed inside the cell of Bosco. It’s a constant sense of tension within the room and quite a dramatic one. Nevertheless, the tension is quite thrilling. The scenes shared by Jane and Joseph are possibly the best film. “The rumor is you’re in here because you killed Tupac,” Bosco in one unusual hilarious scene, tells Hunt.
Bosco, by the way, is not a hip hop whale for purely aesthetic reasons; his film includes exceptional music as well. The Rossi plays Hunt’s assistant, Ramos, who is also in the cast. Another complicated character done through thick plot changes from the good to the bad.
“Do not lose your raspy voice of Bosco chooses to encourage himself through the prison mirror. Joseph’s narrations as Bosco are cleverly scripted. They do not follow the more formulaic approach when movies try to use them as mere information dump or expository devices. “I don’t feel sht any longer, let alone myself,” he mumbles to himself. Solitary can be too much for someone, and Bosco takes us through a rather dangerous and uncomfortable space that perhaps places us in his shoes, at least to a degree. Seeing the source material, one is likely to profile the author of the book Chasin’ Freedum himself, Bosco, regarding the setting but one will really never learn what it was like back there. Nevertheless, a film like Bosco certainly tries and achieves in myriad ways.
These exposes flashbacks too work, thanks to Vivica A. Fox, the always dependable scene stealer. Then back in scenes inside the pen of grown up Bosco, who is ferociously savage Aubrey Joseph, who was liked by the Marvel crowd from Freeform’s now canceled Cloak & Dagger. Makes you sit on the edge of the seat as he steadily attempts to actually slice and chip himself out of the cell. It’s believable, kept it real. He squirms beneath adult imprisonment as the blood gushes from one of his hands. All the while his own cell mates are systematically clubbed practically to death and even die on the spot around him. Would he escape? Would he be able to withstand yet another day of this place .
“Fight for every damn day,” pleads the equity challenged Hunt when the film is towards its end and now drunkard Hunt is listening to the police scanner as they search for a fleeing Bosco. He is absent from the scene of the Hunt, but Hunt’s muddled ties with Bosco are overly apparent by this stage. Maybe a father figure? “I may be in a cage, but I am no longer a coward,” remarks Bosco in another epic voice over towards the end of the film.
This ex con is now a free man and has decided to tell his story to the public. I would love to be up close to such oration, and that is why in the meantime online budding filmmaker Nicholas Manuel Pino’s feature debut is certainly worthy of a listening so that the message can be taken forth.
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