Review:  ‘Five Star’ sheds real light on N.Y. gang life

Reality meets fiction in “Five Star,” Keith Miller’s low-key glimpse into gang life in New York City. James “Primo” Grant, a real member of the Bloods, stars as Primo, a “five star” general in the gang. He’s on the other side of the life now, more focused on being a father to his small children. But he’s still in the game and takes his deceased mentor’s son, John (John Diaz), under his wing, promising to teach him the ropes.

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Miller drops the audience into this world on the street level, using a naturalistic, observational aesthetic to convey this story. Primo and John represent the two different lives on either side of the gang experience — one man young and hungry for opportunity, the other older, subdued, just trying to be there and provide for his family but still caught up in the life. Grant is a compelling screen presence, never raising his voice but exuding a coiled tension that could easily be unleashed. He’s a streetwise gangster philosopher, musing on the existential questions on life, death, manhood, the life he’s lived. During a bar mitzvah scene, he contemplates the differences in coming of age that he experienced compared with those of the young kids at the party.

The loose structure of “Five Star” lends to the realism and documentary feel of the film but can often make it a bit hard to hook into the narrative. However, it’s eye-opening to see an indie approach to this genre.

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“Five Star.”

MPAA rating: None.

Running time: 1 hour, 23 minutes.

Playing: At Arena Cinema, Hollywood.