Search - Gangland: The Complete Season One on DVD

Gangland, a Deviant Culture in Living Color Including Blood

Russell A. Rohde MD | West Covina, California USA | 09/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Gangland: The Complete Season One (2007)", 4 disc set, A&E Home Video, Dist. by NEWVIDEO. ISBN 1-4229-0949-2. English, Color, 611 min.

This 4 disc DVD set provides more than 611 min. (extras)of over 10 hrs. of color video, mostly excellent quality footage, with narrated soundtrack and much original recordings of gang members, police and victims interacting. Each disc contains 3 to 4 topics dealing with Gangland culture and these include American Gangster Harlem, You Rat-You Die (MS-13), Mexican Mafia & LA County, Hells Angels, Race Wars (Latino vs Afro-American, Kings of New York, Chicago's Black P. Stones, Skinheads, Chicago's Ganster City, La Nuestra (Blood In-Blood Out), Basic Training (USAF skills), Blood Oath (Racism), Root of All Evil (100,000 member MS-13 in America).

Overall, this compendium of gangland footage is especially meaningful if you've had basic introduction into the culture of gangs via more recent publications as "A World of Gangs", The Gangs of Los Angeles" or "The Mexican Mafia" and are familiar with the deep-seated cultural aspects of street and prison gangs: their codes, signing, dress style, graffito, ghettos, rap music, drugs, and their allegiances.

Interestingly, if one were to confines one's knowledge of gangs to what is available in the press or radio, one would be almost totally uninformed and misinformed and naive on the subject. These DVDs are not a substitute for researched books on gangs but is a satisfying complement - and we are privy to seeing the youthfulness of its members, 'signing' of gangs, phlethora of tattoos and ghetto conditions that often, but not always, precedes gangland activity. There is some erratic edition of certain film clips which leads to some redundancy, but overall this is a relatively minor fault, but caused me to drop it by one star in rating."

This Series WILL Terrify You!

Ervin Griffin | Bluefield, WV | 10/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw a few episodes when it first started on the HD version of The History Channel. The first episode I ever saw was called "Kings Of New York" and it was on the Latin Kings street gang that originated out of the midwest and spread to New York.

The things that I saw in that special I can't print here! As terrifying as it was to me, I couldn't stop watching. I've seen other episodes of this series and it reveals things about gangs that I never knew. If all you think of street gangs is a bunch of hoodlums with no intelligence and are just troublemakers, then I would DOUBLY recommend this series! While this series won't change the world, it'll make you have a better prespective of what these gangs are about. I've seen horror movies that weren't as scary as the things shown here.

I will say up front it does contain language and some disturbing scenes so if you are the Bible thumping type or if you get offended easily, then don't watch this series. Kind of sad in a way though since some of the information revealed here could actually save a life!

Anyway, great series but not for the weak of heart."

Sort of like passing by a car wreck, you have to look

Greg A. Tirevold | Atlanta, GA USA | 05/11/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The series is interesting in that it shows a life that most viewers have little idea about. The interviews with involved members, both inside and outside of prison paints a grim picture of the lifestyle that is tough to live but easy to glamorize.

When I watched the first season DVDs over a weekend I really began to notice the repeated use of some stock footage and audio. I realize that in a "documentary" style often they have to stretch still photos into moving images and use sound effects to liven things up but I think some are overused. I don't remember it being bothersome when episodes are watched individually over a longer period of time however so depending on your viewing habits you might not be bothered.

Many of the gangs are simply copy-cats of each other and therefore some of the episodes became rather blahh as a result. I would have rather had an episode or two on generic gang topics like how they acquire weapons and drugs to perhaps tags and symbology interpreted for a change of pace. As it is this series is sort of like a Who's-Who index of gangs rather than a look at the broader picture and what traits many of these groups share and why.

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Great Collection on an oft-overlooked topic

DACHokie | Blacksburg, VA | 12/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have watched every episode of this series (thank you DVR!) since its inception. I find it to be one of the more compelling documentaries on television today. I have purchased all seasons thus far released on DVD and will continue to do so until the series ends.

Each episode is well-researched and presents points-of-view from within the gang, as well as law-enforcement. If you didn't think gangs were much of a problem, this series may change your mind ... gangs are EVERYWHERE.

Although I am sure that there are some who would view this program as a glorification of gang-life, I strongly disagree. The brutal and tragic truth behind all the gangs presented clearly illustrate a warning of the insidious nature of gang-life.

Although the MTV-like presentation of the subject matter can be abrasive (especially the repetitious "arrrrgggghh" that infests each and every episode), the format could be meant to induce younger viewers to watch the show. What makes this series so interesting is that it focuses on all gangs, not just those that have been highlighted by the media over the years (Bloods, Crips, Hells Angels, etc.) ... prison gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, inner-city gangs, white-supremacy gangs ... this series covers them all in manner that is hard to ignore.

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