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Not quite fast or furious…more like slow and stylish.

Produced by Rockstar Games, primarily known for their Grand Theft Auto video game series; Sunday Driver is an in depth look at the cars and lifestyles of low riders. Follow one of southern California’s oldest car clubs, Compton’s The Majestics, as the origin and purpose of their mission is realized. Promoting low riding as more of a lifestyle than a hobby, club members try to portray a much less negative perception of the low riding community. The Majestics treat their club members as family and take care of their own. Pride is a necessity with low riding and Gangster, the president of The Majestics, gives his family and neighborhood something to be proud of in the Santana. The Santana is Gangster’s life dream realized in the form of the ultimate low-rider. The Santana was featured on the cover of Lowrider magazine and further centered Compton as the home of low riding.

Sunday Driver is filled with cool cars, a great soundtrack and some interesting use of certain explicative. While the film provides an intriguing “look at the guys behind the chrome”, it slowly falters as club members are ultimately associated with the negative stereotypes that they aim to shed. Listen as gang members talk about low riding not being about gang banging, drugs or violence. Listening to Gangster speak about his wishes for the low riding community and his Majestic members draws some early sympathy, but that sympathy is eventually diminished by the fact that Gangster was eventually imprisoned for drug and weapons charges. To add insult to injury, you come to find that his entire fleet of low riders were seized and auctioned off internationally.

The members talk about their gang beginnings and how those events possibly built the foundation for their stereotype. While some of The Majestics have gang roots, others have lead very respectable lives and careers. One interesting interview was one with a Captain of the LAPD who talks about his passion for wanting to build a low-rider. The film is about passion, and you have to respect the passion that some of these men have for their cars and their fellow members.

The film’s supplements are very interesting because they provide some more in depth insight to members of The Majestics, exhibitions of low riding and even a clip that shows the Santana’s new home in Okinawa, Japan. The proud new owner of low riding history shows some of the “improvements” he has made to the car and boasts about his car club, the Okinawa Low riders. Considering a pretty awesome soundtrack, I would have expected more than a stereo audio mix, but still solid.

The Upside:
Cool cars and awesome soundtrack
The Downside:
Almost an exclusive film for car enthusiasts
On the Side:
For those of you who weren’t aware that Rockstar Games also produces films, check out The Football Factory

Breaking Down the DVD:
The Film: C-
The Delivery: D-
The Extras: B
Final Grade: C-

DVD Stats:
Release Date: June 13, 2006
Directed by: Carol Strong
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound Mix: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
MPAA: Unrated
Run Time: 90 min.