Delayed Reaction: The Interrupters

The Pitch: There are people whose jobs are to step in the middle of gang violence to bring about a peaceful resolution...not cops, just people.

A year in Chicago spent following the people working for the Violence Interrupters program.

This is one of those documentaries in which the concept is arguably more interesting than the film itself. There's a program in Chicago where volunteers go to the most violent parts of the city and try to stop violence from happening as it's about to happen. Knowing that such a program existed was the most interesting thing about the movie. I mean, it's a Steve James film. Give him some time in this setting and he can make Hoops Dreams, so The Interrupters has some good stuff. The different interrupters have eclectic backgrounds and interesting stories. James lets the footage dictate the story, so it does have some lulls. I certainly appreciated what the movie was doing.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend