Chained (2018) Poster

(2018)

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7/10
Perfect to scare anyone straight
baccaruda18 October 2021
Chained is a made for a very specific audience. For who need to see that a life on the streets leads nowhere, this is one of those movies that needs to be seen. Personally, I found it interesting that the female criminal protagonists considered the police crooked, when everything that they were doing together was probably even more criminal. It's an interesting perspective that shows the hypocrisy of street life, whether it's a man or a woman living it. Overall, the acting seemed authentic, which is a real plus in a movie like this. Any false notes from the actors would render the whole thing laughable. Thankfully, they were all up to the task, and it seemed that perhaps many of the scenes had a lot of improv to them.
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7/10
Real and alive
andrewtschroeder19 May 2020
This indie crime drama's rough and tumble style fits well with its raw story. The characters feel real and alive!
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8/10
Set It Off, Ladies
angelina5418 April 2020
This film was (as many others have said in their reviews), RAW AF. Its street grit reality hits hard and the acting is off-the-charts intense and real. The film almost has a documentary flavor to it, and it's action-packed. Support indie film and check it out!
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5/10
Way too stereotyping...
paul_haakonsen18 April 2021
Sure, when I sat down to watch the 2018 movie titled "Chained", I can't really claim to have been expecting a whole lot from the movie. Why? Well, usually these type of movies just fall short of proving properly entertaining for my particular liking. But since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to sit down and watch it.

I will say, though, that "Chained" from writer Deborah Cardona wasn't actually as bad as I had initially dreaded it would be. Sure, this movie is packed to the rim with every stereotype available, so you pretty much know what you are getting here when you sit down to watch a movie of this particular type.

The storyline had some good enough aspects to it, while others were just too generic and predictable. But overall, then the movie actually wasn't too shabby. It was, however, somewhat held back by the acting, the characters and the dialogue.

The characters in the movie were given lots of detail in terms of story arches and personalities, that much was certainly visible throughout the course of the movie. But lots of the interactions and dialogue between the characters was just too staged and rigid, wooden even, to pass as being properly believable. And that made for some awkward scenes from time to time. While parts of the character gallery definitely had potential, I am sure that within the coming week then I will have forgotten about these characters entirely.

As for the acting in "Chained", well, it wasn't exactly stellar performances, but I will say that the cast actually managed to do well enough, and it was certainly adequate for a movie about drugs, gangs and such.

The pacing of the movie was a bit slow. The movie, while running at 76 minutes, felt more like 120 minutes. The movie was rather monotonous in its pacing, and it was somewhat of a struggle to remain attentive to the movie and keep being fully interested and committed.

Now, I don't particularly think that I am the target audience for a movie such "Chained", so some of the movie's appeal might have fallen short of sticking on me. And it wasn't really a particularly memorable or outstanding movie for me. Nor is it a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time.

Overall, then "Chained" was watchable, but it was ultimately a mediocre movie experience. There are far more interesting and compelling gang-related and drug-related dramas out there. My rating of directors Deborah Cardona, Kapri Edwards, Sheerice Martinez and Kisha Morales's 2018 movie lands on a five out of ten stars.
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9/10
Intense and Authentic
JGReviews19 May 2020
Chained is an unfiltered and raw look at women getting involved in the drug trade. While Chained doesn't have the budget of a multi-million dollar Hollywood movie, it more than makes up for that with intensity and authenticity. It's definitely worth your time and worth a watch.
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10/10
Real, not sugar coated or watered down story about living in the drug world
lbruhnca21 July 2020
Eye opening view into the day in and day out world of life in a world of drugs. The film borders the line of a reality show because it's a real view into this world and not sugar coated water downed Hollywood style. If lighthearted is what you want, then you might want to pass. The story, director, and actors will pull you in and enlighten you. Congrats to this film making team for their courage to tell it like it is.
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Authentic AF
thejhorton18 May 2020
Rough around the edges but super compelling, Chained is a good indie film. The performances are equally raw and intense. Really liked that it from a female point of view.
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7/10
The walk and talk are legit.
mettlesetdesigner6 October 2022
I ran across this movie "Chained" on TubiTV the other night and said, why not and began watching. Immediately I was taken in by the authentic look and feel of this movie. The writer/director/producer does a great job at capturing the feeling and vibe of life on the streets of New York. I mean it is really raw and true to life. The acting is authentic, the walk and talk are legit. Watching Chained is like looking into the window of the lives of true characters that you meet everyday on the streets. For being an indie film with not much of a budget I give the filmmakers two thumbs up and recommend this movie.
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9/10
A true indie gem.
harriscalvin-125 March 2020
Chained was truly an indie gem. Directors Deborah Cardona & Kapri Edwards did a fantastic job with their cast & crew. They did a great job depicting the hardcore reality of the under world drug trade prevalent in various cities not only in the United States but globally. All of the actors did really well and the music and editing were on point.
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10/10
Great Movie!! 👍🏽👍🏽
animelovers-3252228 August 2020
For this to be a Independent Film it is Definitely one I would recommend to anyone who loves Urban Films with Philosophical Dialogue. The Director definitely used the Script to offset the Small Budget for the film 🎞 but Viewers will still Lose track of time Watching this Movie and by the time the credits roll your asking yourself for "WHEN WILL PART 2 BE RELEASED !?"

Definitely a MUST WATCH
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8/10
Great find!
donwandoza17 April 2020
For an indie film I found this to be very engaging and entertaining. I loved the characters and the locations that were used. Def would recommend giving this film a watch!
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9/10
Strong vision
ueprod23 April 2020
Many of the other reviewers are calling this film "raw" and I agree. If it's rough around the edges that can be a strength to the film. The interplay between the characters is as interesting as the world presented. It plays against the typicality of genera and elements of real life situations at work here.
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8/10
Indie. Gritty.
lindapalmer28 June 2020
With indie films you don't have the flash of cash, but when you have a unique story perspective and good actors, you pull it off. Intense look at women in the drug trade.
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10/10
Loved it!
melony-4616616 September 2020
I love all Deborah's books and it's amazing how she turns them into full feature films! Great quality!
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8/10
Street Hustling at its best
mahayanafilms22 May 2020
It seems to be everyone is hustling to live these days,some have no choice to do what the need to do these Ladies want a piece of the pie like the men on the their streets and find out how deep they will have to go. Some of the sound in the movie was a little sketchy which is always a challenge for Indie films but overall a good watch
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10/10
Must see!
keziahsarae16 September 2020
One of the best independent urban films I've seen in a while!
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