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Street Fight
Directed by: Marshall Curry
Starring: Cory Booker
Genre:
Documentary
Run Time: 83
min.
Release Date:
April 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Most politically charged
films focus on corruption at the higher levels of state, but STREET
FIGHT gives us a curb-side view of something much smaller ...and much
more important.
The 2002 Newark, New Jersey Mayoral race is something most voters in the
U.S. could care less about. Why should someone in, say, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania pay attention to Newark's voting issues? Or someone in Fort
Worth, Texas? Or San Francisco, California? Realistically, none of them
would. But Newark is New Jersey's most populated city, and those in San
Francisco and beyond might want to take a peak at what's happening to
our democracy on a pseudo-microcosmic level.
The film's primary focus is on Cory Booker, a Newark city councilman
with his eye on the mayor's office. He's a Stanford and Yale graduate
who lives in a slum within Newark. He's an idealist who's grown tired of
his city's poor schools, poorer neighborhoods, and rising jobless rate.
To get into the mayor's office, though, he'll have to unseat four-time
incumbent Sharpe James, a man who's firmly entrenched within Newark's
politics.
We watch as writer/director/photographer Marshall Curry seeks to
interview both sides of the race, first by checking in on Cory Booker's
campaign, then by trying (in vain) to meet up with Sharpe James and his
people. But once James' campaign personnel learn that Curry interviewed
Booker already, he is immediately shunned and pushed aside (often in a
very rough manner). Curry's camera is pushed around time and again, his
microphone broken, and he's denied access to Sharpe James entirely. Even
when Curry catches up with James at a public event, he's manhandled by
Sharpe James' 'brute squad.' Most will find this very unsettling, as
this is a publicly elected figure in a public place who is, in essence,
acting like a thug.
That we never touch on the political issues surrounding the campaign is
interesting and absurd. These are both positive aspects of the film. It
shows us how little our democracy means in many instances; it isn't the
poor schools/neighborhoods/jobs that dominate voters' discussions, but
who's "more republican" or "more black" (both candidates are black) or
"campaign has more money" or "has visited a strip joint".
In the end, we watch Sharpe James use every slimy tactic at his disposal
in order to win votes (including bringing in paid James' supporters from
out-of-state to help bolster support on election day). Booker doesn't
win the election, thus giving the viewer a very negative view of New
Jersey politics. But all is not gloom and doom.
In 2006, Cory Booker returned to the mayoral race and took Newark by
storm. Sharpe James uncharacteristically dropped from the race for
unknown reasons while a new runner took up position against Booker, only
to be squashed in the largest landslide win of any mayoral race in New
Jersey history.
But the bitter taste of the 2002 race still lingers in audiences minds
after watching Street Fight. It's a tough film to watch, because we all
want to believe that our democracy is flawless when, in fact, it has so
many problems and shady dealings as to make one ill at the prospect.
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Image from Street Fight
DVD cost: $18.99
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite?
Yes.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy: By
election day, the climate became so heated that the Federal government
was forced to send in observers to watch for cheating and violence.
Movie Quote: "In
this town, elections are won and lost on the streets."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Street Fight
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