12 O’Clock Boys (2014)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I'm sorry to say it but:This little boy is so mean (cussing every 1 out, kicking pit bulls,hitting little kids)! But then when they showed his home environment-that explained some of it.He has a talent for riding the dirt bikes,and wants to join that bike group, it's a outlet for him to get away from his life (which I can see a pretty rough one) I just wish they wouldn't ride their bikes in the streets and get chased by the police. Maybe they can build a track or something for them.Maybe some club can be created. Something needs to be done to keep them off the main streets.I understand the police trying to keep them and pedestrians and others safe.

12 O'Clock Boys is the name of a motorcycle group (one might argue that they aren't quite a gang) in North Baltimore. Their name arises from the fact that when they do wheelie's (that is, riding on the back wheel of their motorcycles) their wheels are straight up and down like the hands of a clock.12 O'Clock Boys is also the name of a documentary which follows Pug, a thirteen- year-old kid who wants to eventually join the illustrious (or notorious, depending on who you ask) aforementioned group.Many documentaries I've seen about gangs focus strictly on the gang: its origin, current members, former members, and police. 12 O'Clock Boys incorporates those but, as it follows the development of Pug, we come to see the larger ecosystem of Baltimore; not only do we see the gang and its relationship with the police but also we get to see how the gang operates with Baltimore and the poorer districts of the city, and even its relationship with future members, i.e. children.Pug's home life is such that I can see how one might be drawn to the 12 O'clock Boys and the resulting sense of community. It's kinda sad to watch over the course of the movie how Pug gravitates towards an angrier lifestyle. He wanted to become a veterinarian and he had a bunch of pets but by the end of the movie he says that he wants to become a dogcatcher (I suppose because it sounds tougher). It's too bad too because, when he talks about animals, he sounds rather knowledgeable about them.I read in an interview that Pug and his mother participated in the documentary because they wanted to shed light on the group. If people had a place to ride their bikes, like a park, they argue, then the problems would go away. But, is that really the case? Thinking about this is one of the more interesting questions to come out of the movie.On one hand we have the founding members saying that they just wanted to ride, because when they ride they forget about their problems, yadda yadda yadda. Former and current members interviewed, insist that the gang doesn't do anything like guns or drugs or whatnot; they just want to ride their bikes. And, yet, they break traffic laws and intentionally ride past the police department to exacerbate the already tenuous relationship with the police.We see Pug practicing with a child-size ATV and, eventually, in the park on his dirt bike. The plan is always to practice and ride until he gets to the point where he can ride with the group in the streets. There's the rub.What would the dynamic be if the group had a venue for their riding? Would it be the same or is part of it the experience breaking the law?At one point, the group is riding up and down a street and in a nearby park when the police come. The environment is electrified by the clash between the bikers and the police. So it's not "just about riding," but the movie doesn't really explore what it really is about.If you've read my previous reviews, you might recall that I generally dislike children in movies. More often than not, it's a cheap way to force an emotional response from audiences. 12 O'Clock Boys is pushing it. With Pug, we see this kid come of age and watch his development. But because he's a kid, it feels mildly exploitative.With respect to following Pug, there are a couple standout sequences. First, when Pug finally gets a dirt bike. He is practicing in the park near a group of kids playing basketball and one comes over and asks if he could try out Pug's bike. After some hesitation, Pug lets him. Sure enough the kid says, "I'm just going to take it around the block." The kid speeds away. After a few minutes, Pug runs around the corner to see if he'll return. You can see fear, desperation, embarrassment, and frustration wash over his face as he looks at the camera and then the cameraman. It feels like a really great moment to capture on screen.At the end of the movie, Pug has spiraled further into the hood mentality. He had just gotten in trouble for fighting in school. The cameraman asks what Pugs intends to do about his bike. "Steal it back," Pug answers matter-of-factly. As he explains the plan, footage of the robbery plays. The movie ends with a shot of Pug in the back of a van dressed in black, with his bike, looking silently at the camera. It's depressing but well executed.I've spent a lot longer thinking about this movie than countless other's that I've seen and I can't quite figure out why. I think it has something to do with why I found it unsatisfying. We watch Pug spiral downwards into the subculture of the 12 O'Clock Boys, which is depressing, right? We hear positive messages from the current and former members but we see contradictory images: a guy kicking the tail light of a police car, for example. The stories and images paint of picture of this group and it's surrounding city but it's not getting anywhere.I don't think a movie should necessarily a definitive position but I feel like it would be helpful to provide a starting point and, perhaps, a direction for conversation. It you watch fluffy tupolev's Youtube video entitled "12 O'Clock Boys", you'll have just as much of a conversation starter as 12 O'Clock Boys. If you are interested in watching it, currently, it can be found on Youtube.

A pretty unique and interesting look at urban life about some dirt-bikers in Baltimore. Which of course is most known for being the main ground for the TV-series THE WIRE.It focuses mainly one one kid called Pug who wants nothing more but to join the 12 O'Clock Boys "gang", I use that term lightly cause they aren't really a gang per se because the only illegal activities they do is ride their dirt-bikes on the streets where they are not allowed, performing various stunts etc. They also interview some "street-legends" of the original 12'O Clock Boys who started out years ago and is still about that life.It's a documentary the way it should be done, it doesn't try to push an agenda on you or condone the illegal activities nor show disdain for it, it just show you the way it is and how they use the riding as a release for whatever problems they have got going on.

spoilers, I guess, and personal opinion. Enter at your own risk.First, just watch the youtube trailer, don't bother watching this documentary, and thank me for saving you an hour and fifteen minutes of your life. This documentary revolves around this kid named pug and how he wants to join this gang called the 12 o clock boys. they claim it's a bike club, but the stuff they do makes it a gang. He hangs around riding ATV's and dirt bikes but it doesn't say if he officially got in or not, not that I care. I watched this film because I saw the trailer a while back, and then I was intrigued on seeing the other side of the story when it came to "bike clubs" after the incident in NYC where the guy driving an SUV plowed through some motorcycles to get his family away from danger. Anyway, there's about 3-4 minutes of people on bikes, doing tricks, evading the police, driving recklessly, etc. The rest of the time is focused on pug and his family. It's kind of sad what vicious circle these people go through; I can relate, but thankfully I made it. The mother, who is an enabler in the most compounded way possible, has many kids and it doesn't show or say that she works. I'm assuming she's on welfare or some kind of public assistance, or who knows what, but when she's not sitting at home swearing at her kids that she can't control, she's at the local bar getting blitzed. I have kids of my own, and while I'm not the best person in the world, I will never go out without my kids because they are important to me. I don't have to go to a bar to have fun, that's what kids are for, but I digress. This 12 year old pug also gets a tattoo (ugly one at that) and his attitude gets worse and worse as the film goes on. He eventually gets his bike stolen (gave it up willingly like the pre-teen he is) and at the end of the movie it shows him stealing a dirt bike from someone's yard. Not sure if it's exactly the one that he had before, but he stole a bike and the movie ends. Really lame documentary. If you want something with bikes and stunts, watch Nitro Circus. This shows how deplorable it is to live in the ghetto, and I know from first hand how bad it is, but it's like they don't want to break the cycle. The kids are without supervision, swearing, getting tattoos, who knows what else when the cameras aren't rolling.When the mother does get mad, it's like she has more bark than bite. The kid misses a month of school and only gets yelled at. What kind of parenting is that? Another question I want to know, which I could probably answer myself, is where do these people, without jobs, arrest records, etc. get the money to buy dirt bikes, gasoline, nice clothes, etc. Kind of a rhetorical question, but you get where I'm going with this. Also, when these bone heads get hurt and have to go to the hospital, do you think they have insurance? I'll answer it for you, NO! and guess who gets to pay the bill on that? You, the taxpayer. Gotta love the USA, where we get huge medical insurance premiums and scumbags get free medical care. The worst part about it is the hypocrisy of this gang. They drive around the city like they own the place, speeding throughout the streets, then get mad when a police officer chases their friend and he dies from wrecking into a car (side note: the police are not allowed to chase bikers because of safety concerns for bystanders). Overall this film made me realize how happy I am to have escaped the hood, get a good job, have a family, home, new cars, etc. and not have to rely on the government to do so. There should be welfare reform, but it won't happen.I would avoid this documentary. I'll never watch it again, or recommend it. It basically glorifies this ridiculous behavior. I hate to say, but I gave it 2 stars since a couple of the idiot bikers died. If you watch the film and see their total regard for anyone, you would feel the same, but again, don't watch it, it's lame.