This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I heard of this movie from one of my Hommes. What an effed up movie! Meaning it was a hoot watching the white kids trying to get all ghetto and stuff. Fake as all the kids were, that really is a slice of life of the kids acting nowadays, in tha Barrio or the Suburbia - fast and wild, drugs and sex go hand in hand in this move and the real world.Parents would freak out at the actual stuff happening under their own noses.But back to Life. What impressed most was the acting stretch that Anne H was willing to do get away from her good girl roles, by stretch I meant Naked, hell yeah! Bijou P did a fine job of stretching too, the same eager to please loose girl looking to please in any way she can. Now that's real acting. Anyways. The rest of the cast did a good job performing the frontin' roles, all attitude was all they needed.I gotta say reading why this film was made is a sad tragic story from the writer's untimely passing, it's a great dedication from a mind so young. In the end, fun to watch, like a slow moving car chase.

There's a quote in Godard's "Le Petit Soldat" that perfectly reflects something that's hidden in most of us and we don't how to express it, something that seems to upset us in a devastating way. The main character says this while looking his reflection in the mirror: "It's strange. When I look myself in the face I get the feeling I don't match with what I think it's inside". Such statement, such insatisfaction is part of some of us in one point or another in life because world is made of appearances which cause endless worries on people who need to work harder than others to reach the "required" state of society thinks is the adequate. That character suffered enough, knows what's he talking about and he knows he can change this fact. "Havoc" could be defined into that one quote but it goes more than that. Here, white girls (some boys too) from great upbringings, with money and clothes all around, lifestyle desired by many but who want to be part of more exciting things, sing rap and be part of less fortuned cliques, be with them and be like them. Why? Because we're bored, we want to feel what's being dangerous is like, we wanna escape the uselessness of our lives. But only if could use those words, then we would probably feel some sympathy for them. They say they're bored, that when they're among their peers they feel like a dream but being with drug dealers and criminals is the real thing, something to feel better but all those explanations aren't good enough, it should have more. At the end of the day, they go back home to their "miserable" lives and still gonna wake up being white girls trying to impress others with their behavior, language coming from another culture. Anne Hatahway wonderfully illustrates youth's identity crisis in a scene where she goes from being the usual image of herself, trying to sell an idea, to later be a completely smart girl with fascinating remarks about politics to later be sensual, provocative, pretending to be a porn star. She does that to impress a young colleague (Matt O'Leary) who's making a sort of documentary on this group of white-wanna-be-black. She spams of character like a remote changing channels on different shows. And with those impersonations she gives us the image of a youth with no identity, damaged by drugs, television, consumerism, lack of parental attention, thinking it knows what it wants but really doesn't know. The video was innocent, more was about to come her way when she and her friend tries to join a group of Latino gang-bangers that are for real in everything they say. And this marks the turning point on her lives when they'll see that things aren't the way they appear. Better films (like "Alpha Dog") dealt with the subject matter in a more interesting way. What "Havoc" does is presenting us actors like Hathaway, Bijou Phillips, Mike Vogel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (he nailed it, though) acting like a gang, forcing some racial stereotypes at times (specially in the beginning), very over-the-top. This helps and it doesn't. They have to play this way because people who try to be something different of what they are does that. So, it's a bad acting that makes the film good, you believe (but not completely) in what they're doing. The Hispanic gang (formed by Freddy Rodriguez, Raymond Cruz and others) has better moments, but also with some clichéd stereotypes of movies that show how tough East L.A. really is. It's the most confusing aspect of the film and the one that gets the most criticism.At the same time it focuses on the issue of appearances, social backgrounds and its differences, trying to be a movie with a powerful statement "Havoc" fails a lot with its messy presentation. Reduces thoughts and conflicts like meaningless things or not giving the needed attention; it seems more concerned in selling a material rather than exposing the idea. It touches the skin but doesn't go deep inside. Right, they rap, use slangs and feel completely connected with the black culture and their things but you don't see them dating or having relations of any kind with African-Americans. I don't recall seeing one in the whole movie. Closes with a abrupt and horrible ending that explains the reasons why they are this way but this never fulfills our questions, doesn't make us feel sorry for them, doesn't make us feel terrified with what they've been through, it makes us too judgmental. Given a proper look one could say "Hey, the movie is simply showing what not to do, try to be yourself and find something positive to do". But this is being too simplistic just like the movie and it's not quite a useful reading one can make of "Havoc", in fact there are plenty of moments when the film seems to incite this kind of behavior, it's supportive of it. I admired some of its qualities but don't find it enough bad to be a bad picture neither too good to be a good film. It's something in between. If curious about it go ahead just for the "fun" of seeing people trying to be what they're not. Most of all, don't be fooled in seeing the name of Stephen Gaghan ("Traffic", "Syriana") and thinking this movie is worthy of his writing credits. It's quite a disappointment. 6/10

OK, so the rich-girls-try-to-associate-with-ghetto-people plot line has gotten used in movies before. But some unpleasant stuff happens this time. Anne Hathaway and Bijou Phillips play Pacific Palisades teenagers Allison and Emily, who are both fascinated by the Latino gangstas in LA. So, they decide to start associating with these Latino gangstas. I mean, it's not as if they'll get in over their heads, right? Understand in advance that "Havoc" isn't "Mean Streets" or "Boyz N the Hood". It's just its own movie (well, maybe a little bit of "Rebel without a Cause" in there). This isn't any kind of masterpiece. I certainly felt a sense of deja vu while watching at least some of the scenes. But even so, director Barbara Kopple - previously a documentary maker - has created a good look at the always tense situation in Southern California. All the cast members do a very good job with their roles, even if the movie isn't the greatest. It's worth seeing maybe once (and not just because of a few specific scenes of Anne Hathaway!). Also starring Shiri Appleby, Freddy Rodriguez (Rico on "Six Feet Under"), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Biehn and Laura San Giacomo.

Let me tell you, after sitting through it, I was going to come here and totally trash it. I was going to call it an abomination of film making, etc. But luckily I decided to see what other people thought and find out a little more about the director/story. I really wasn't sure how to interpret it. I'm glad that I did that, because now I think I get it. This is one of those movies that comes so close to the truth, it should almost be taken as a documentary, rather than a feature film. There is no compelling plot, there is no hero, there is no big story/lesson. This movie reflects real life so well, that it completely fails to give you the feelings you expect a movie to give. Because real life, unlike a movie, is very slow, quiet and subtle. It's like a story you'd hear someone tell about someone else, and the ending, more likely than not, would be that in the end nothing happened, everyone went their separate ways. I would call this movie a valse between the themes of what is real, fake and reality. A lot of the people who give this movie a high rating sympathies with a Latino gang, because they perceive them as real. I think these people miss the point, because while the gang may seem more conscientious of their presence, or more in touch with reality, they are still pieces of crap. I mean, they're drug dealers who sell crack- cocaine! They're real alright, real and evil. And while the little white girl(s) who get(s) good grades and not enough lessons in reality from their parents, that is, why they live in a nice house and gated community, as opposed to say, a crack ghetto? Are just confused, scared, lonely and forced into these situations/realities. They're too naive, young and stupid to know better and with no strong parental involvement (the girl even has a line akin to that in the movie "You're never here!" she yells at her dad) it's not really their fault that they find themselves in these places.Like I said, I was going to give this film a bad rating and a bad review, but realizing just how deep and close it cuts to the truth of the matter, I'm going to give it the best rating there is on this system, because that is what I feel it deserves.