AMERICAN PIMP: RAW OUTTAKES & THE HARD TRUTH - DVD review

Bitch n. A female canine animal, especially a dog.

Have you ever wanted to know what was going through the mind of a pimp, to get their story, to understand what makes them tick, to understand what misconceptions are spread about them through the mainstream media? Does contemporary rap resonate with you as an ideal life? Do you refer to all women as bitches? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're going to love "American Pimp: Raw Outtakes & The Hard Truth."

The Hughes Brothers ("From Hell") put together this award-winning look at the life of the runners of the game. Heralded at Sundance, this movie forces us to look at the seedier sides of life, women who sell their bodies for money and the men who collect it.

My first exposure to the pimping arts came with Harvey Keitel in "Taxi Driver," and though the men interviewed in this documentary are a lot more organized and seemingly professional, they are ultimately no more enlightened. These pimps use a lot of circular logic and justificatory rhetoric to legitimize the fact that they take advantage of women. The prostitutes are all portrayed as voluntary workers in a legitimate game and are treated as nothing more than breathing property, cows for milking, given no respect. They are easily replaceable to the pimps and there is little investment.

The thing that scares me is that people look up to these pimps and emulate their behavior. They are treated like gods in popular culture, with "Pimp and Ho" balls at colleges nationwide and rap songs glamorizing their lifestyle. Blaxploitation movies of the 70s made their ways seem strong and routine, and this film goes a long way to reinforce that stereotype. At the same time, the Hughes Brothers didn't create these men, they exist. It's a case of art and life perpetuating itself in a vicious cycle.

I always say that it's important to see all the aspects of a culture and not use a whitewashed ignorance as an excuse to turn a blind eye to a society's problems. This documentary is a picture of life from the perspective of the pimps themselves. The women get little say, and it seems like there are no ill effects of their actions, since all of them claim to be perfect gentlemen to all the women who they represent. Does it glamorize the lifestyle? You bet. Does it also make it apparent that it actually exists and is more than legend. Absolutely. The only concern I have is that doe eyed children will see this picture without context and will emulate since there isn't a complete picture presented of the pimping lifestyle, other than a few off-hand references to the police.

It's hard to grade this film because on one hand the Hughes Brothers have put together an excellent documentary, but the people being interviewed are atrocious human beings and they are unchallenged. The adage goes, "Give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves," however since we're tossed into their world, it walks a fine line between being fair and glamorizing, and I'm not sure it isn't crossed.

Video:
The video quality varies wildly, but I can tell you the video is presented in a 1.85:1 Anamorphic aspect ratio. Most of the video is extremely grainy which adds to the on-the-fly nature of the production. There are some lens flares that show up as well as lines through the film. The grain does show up in some of the darker scenes, which encompasses about a third of the picture. The brothers made the artistic (and perhaps legal) decision to obscure a lot of the faces of the movies' participants, and while I understand why, it does get annoying quickly because you're forced to focus on ancillary problems that crop up.

Audio:
Only one audio option is available, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The music cues are used as bumpers between scenes and they are clean and clear and feature a good frequency response. The interviews are recorded in a variety of settings feature a variety of quality recordings. The transfer accurately reflects the way the interviews were recorded, right down to the five-word vocabulary that most of these mother #$@!#$s possess when talking about their @#$.

Extras:
The set includes a CD with some killer funk tunes. Being a funk fan, I can say I enjoyed it. It's also got some pimply words of wisdom included for you, incase you're rolling, looking for hos, and need inspiration.

Film Value:
I'm of two minds, as I stated earlier. I think the film glamorizes a profession that doesn't deserve it, yet brings to light their disgusting nature in such a way as to discredit their words to the discriminating viewer. On the same level, I don't know that the viewer of this film will be of that caliber, per se.

But then again, according to this documentary, I call this profession degrading because I'm jealous. I think pimping is wrong because I don't like seeing white women with black men. You can pass your own judgement.