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Pariah

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Pariah (1998)

47%
67%
75%
N/A
N/A
N/A
47 %
Reviews Counted: 15 Fresh: 7  Rotten:8 Average Rating: 5.9/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Synopsis: Inspired by real events close to the director, "Pariah" tells the story of Steve (Damon Jones) and Sam, an interracial couple attacked by Neo-Nazi Skinheads one unexpected night. The brutal attack has a scarring effect on their lives...although Steve's physical bruises heal, Sam's rape... Inspired by real events close to the director, "Pariah" tells the story of Steve (Damon Jones) and Sam, an interracial couple attacked by Neo-Nazi Skinheads one unexpected night. The brutal attack has a scarring effect on their lives...although Steve's physical bruises heal, Sam's rape leads to her subsequent suicide, leaving Steve without direction and bent on revenge. He decides to go undercover as a skinhead to learn about these people whose lives have become so entrenched in hate and violence. Steve must learn to act like them, think like them and eventually, to become one of them. With this accomplished, he can then kill them. Steve abandons his former life to realize this goal of revenge. His enemies include Crew(Dave Oren Ward), the leader of the pugnacious pack, who is fresh out of jail and a loyal student of Nazi rhetoric. Crew takes what he wants in a belligerent and manipulating manner. At his side is his girlfriend Sissy(Aimee Chaffin), full of self-hate only enflamed with Crew's put downs, she is torn between leaving for a normal life and the security she feels from being part of the pack. Crew's right hand man is David Lee(David Lee Wilson), an attack dog whose uncontrollable rage feeds the pack and can explode in bursts of violence at the drop of a hat. Rounding out the gang is the overweight and insecure Babe(Ann Zupa), Sissy's retarded brother Doughboy(Brandon Slater), the flighty and heroine addicted Angela(Angela Jones), as well as nameless other terrorizing accomplices. Babe is just the hook Steve needs to infiltrate the pack. Her desire for friends is what brought her into the gang and Steve's eagerness to help fill that void is what attracts her to help him gain entrance. As Steve plunges into the depths of the skinhead world, he must prove his loyalty, his commitment and ultimately, his hate, to garner their acceptance and carry out his plan. In doing so, Steve discovers what personal histories have caused these people to go over the edge, finds himself committing unspeakable crimes and slowly turning into what he intended to destroy. At the pivotal moment he must decide whether a blast to the head is the only form of revenge or if there is another way to combat racism. Poor Boy Productions in association with Nichol Moon Entertainment, presents "PARIAH", written and directed by Randolph Kret. Starring Angela Jones, Damon Jones, Dave Oren Ward, Anna Padgett, David Lee Wilson, Ann Zupa, Brandon Slater, Dan Weene, Jason Posey & Chris Jarecki. -- © 2000 Indican Pictures [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Damon Jones, David Oren Ward, Angela Jones, Aimee Chaffin, Anna Padgett

Director: Randolph Kret

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 6, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby SR - English

Reviews

 
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1 - 17 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
N/A

The film maintains a convincing realism: It's acted out by little-known but expert talents and shot, cleverly, as though the camera were a fly on the wall.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/30/07
Michael Freidson
Time Out New York
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N/A

As hard as it is to watch, Director/Writer Randolph Kret's film does exactly what it's supposed to do...

Full Review | comment Comment
10/11/06
Kathleen McInnis
MovieMaker Magazine
Ratings Image
2/4

Take a tip from the title: Shun this well-meaning but ridiculous revenge drama about a vicious gang of bone-headed, California neo-Nazis and the man hell-bent on destroying them.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/04/06
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image
2/4

There are plenty jolting episodes of rage and violence, but in the end this pulpy potboiler is wrapped up in an unsatisfyingly tidy, coincidence-heavy bow.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/12/06
Michael Dequina
Mr. Brown's Movies
Ratings Image
2/5

[T]his [...] film by Randolph Kret mistakes the study of a particularly virulent set of symptoms for a diagnosis... Nuance is not something Mr. Kret has much use for.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/30/04
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/03
L.A. Weekly
Ratings Image
2.5/5

Pariah is [...] a brave, in-your-face attempt to handle a very tough, highly unattractive subject. The result is a commendable, if unpleasant, near miss.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
Ratings Image
3/4

Randolph Kret['s ...] direction forcefully shows how the raw hatred of the skinheads regularly explodes into shocking brutality.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/05/02
Boxoffice Magazine
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8/10

Randolph Kret's movie is thrown together helter-skelter, scenes popping up before our eyes without rhyme or reason, but the picture is so visceral, has no much damn frenetic energy, that it compels our attention.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve
Ratings Image
3/5

does a lot with a little, but it's still not much

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee
Ratings Image
2/5

For all its chutzpah and idealism, Pariah remains a muddled mess, a far cry from Australian director Geoffrey Wright's seminal Romper Stomper, which this film clearly strives to emulate...

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image
N/A

[I]n no time flat you get a clear idea of how broadly painted and platitudinous Randolph Kret's Pariah is [...] If only being right were all you needed.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
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N/A

There's no doubting the ability of [director Randolph] Kret [...] in working up an audience and drawing persuasive performances from a sizable cast.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
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Ratings Image
6/10

Pariah, like a through-the-looking-glass version of American History X, is brutally raw and often difficult to watch, but this low-budget indie is an important film that deserves to be seen by a large audience.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
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3/4

Pariah, a raw and unblinking look at the skinhead subculture, is a movie I'd like to show to those admirers of Fight Club who have assured me of their movie's greatness. This is the real thing...

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/01
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
C+

Though Kret does a poor job of telling it, there is a story struggling to be heard amid the chaos

Full Review | comment Comment
03/21/01
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com
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