Illegal Tender

Producer John Singleton (Boyz 'N The Hood, Shaft) and director Franc. Reyes () return to the tough streets of drug dealers and killers they seem to know and love in this over-the-top melodrama that offers lots of freewheeling gunplay and action in desperate search of a believable story. Millie (Wanda DeJesus) is a seemingly comfortable middle-aged mother of two living well and bringing her kids up in style when an innocent encounter with a woman from her past makes her suddenly fear for her family's safety. Wanting to know what happened, 21-year-old college student Wilson Jr. (Rick Gonzalez) confronts his mom and demands the truth, which turns out to involve $2 million in illegal money and the violent death of her criminal husband the night Wilson was born. After she shows him a hidden arsenal of automatic weapons that would qualify her for the NRA's hall of fame, she flees with her younger son while Wilson takes matters into his own hands going to Puerto Rice to face the man threatening his mother. To be fair, the audience we saw this with were whooping and hollering thru the whole thing, even if this self-proclaimed "homage to the classic mob films of the 80's" goes nowhere and in the end makes absolutely no sense. You hear that, Scarface?