Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Gully’ on Hulu, Tracking Three Troubled Pals’ Hedonistic Tumble Through South Central Los Angeles

Gully (Hulu), which appears “in association with” Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company, was helmed by prolific music video director Nabil Elderkin, includes Travis Scott as an executive producer and bit player, and was written by Marcus J. Guillory, who has gone on to be a co-producer and writer on Empire. It also boasts a terrific young cast. But Elderkin’s first full-length feature also has a tendency to falter. Let’s look into it.  

GULLY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: For Jesse (Kevin Harrison, Jr.), Nicky (Charlie Plummer), and Calvin (Jacob Latimore), the everyday world of South Central, Los Angeles is a lingering bruise. Charlie (John Corbett), Jesse’s supposed guardian, is a chronic abuser, to the point that he never speaks out loud. Nicky’s mother Joyce (Amber Heard) is absent, while the violent streak that got his father killed is lionized in street graffiti. And Calvin, with a gifted mind and restless soul, is also prone to destructive swings in mood. This crew does have one another, though, and together they cut school, cause trouble, and play video games. Greg, meanwhile, (Jonathan Majors) has just returned after a stint in prison, and he does odd jobs around the neighborhood in a quest to go straight. Observing all of this is Mr. Christmas (Terrence Howard), a bedraggled homeless man who philosophizes from his shopping cart pulpit. “Sin is encroached at your door, young man!” he calls to Calvin outside the local liquor store. “And for you is its appetite. Will you get the mastery over it?”

Calvin is the de facto leader of his little crew. One day he sneers at the police chopper that seems to constantly hover overhead, imagines his trusty skateboard “Bruiser” is a rocket launcher, and shoots the bird out of the sky, Grand Theft Auto-style. Thus inspired, he enlists Nicky and Jesse in a spontaneous rout. They assault two Latino gang members, stealing pills and taking their pickup; they vandalize a video store; and finally, a vicious bit of road rage leads to a full-on home invasion. Calvin’s mind is full of whimsy (“As soon as I see a dolphin, I’m jumping clean on its back!”), and he longs to build a spaceship that will ferry him to Venus. But he’s also capable of jarring moments of violence, and takes what he wants from the world as payment for the shattered existence he’s inherited.

Greg has grown reflective in his time inside, and he hopes to counsel the younger men in the neighborhood. But the forces quaking inside Calvin can’t be contained, and when his skateboard is crushed by a passing car, he becomes entranced and gives it a proper burial. It’s a moment that signals what was maybe inevitable in this tough slice of South Central, when the promises of life become broken. And there are some hard consequences for Calvin, Nicky, Jesse’s callous actions.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of? The Gully crew’s spastic, impulsive stomp across Los Angeles echoes the nihilistic rampage perpetrated by Alex and his droogs in A Clockwork Orange. And its setting, amongst the tight alleys, tough streets and pale-colored bungalows of South Central, the film brings to mind the work of director David Ayer, especially End of Watch and The Tax Collector.

Performance Worth Watching: The trio of young actors at the center of Gully completely activate this film’s heart. But the title needs to go to Jacob Latimore (The Chi, Netflix’s upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre), who is a revelation as Calvin, the eccentric, bipolar stargazer with his own vision of the world.

Memorable Dialogue: “Calvin had an idea,” Jesse tells us in voiceover. “He said, ‘Why don’t we take the game outside?’ Had I known what it would lead to, I probably would’ve just said, ‘Let’s stay home.’”

Sex and Skin: A suggestive scene or two.

Our Take: Inside Gully there’s a video game where the avatars of Jesse, Nicky, and Calvin play out their violent fantasies. Nicky’s character lays a beating on a thug in an alley; Jesse, voiceless in his everyday life, enacts vengeance on his tormentors. And Calvin’s in-game weapon of choice is “Bruiser,” his beloved skateboard, which also becomes the cudgel that bridges their imaginations and reality when he cracks it across the face of the random guy he’s assaulting. Later, when they steal a flashy Mercedes-Benz SUV, a “Vehicle Upgrade!” computer game graphic blinks. And don’t forget about the LAPD helicopter that’s consumed by a 32-bit fireball when Calvin destroys it with Bruiser. Gully gets mileage out of this warping imagery, this wavering between on screen and real world. The problem is, it does so only fleetingly.

Every actor here is fantastic. Latimore, Plummer, and Harrison elevate the bond between Calvin, Nicky, and Jesse to the heights of companionship – they’re each other’s ride or die, but also represent these characters’ desperate need for even a sliver of joy, an ounce of normalcy. And Majors, as Greg, transmits feelings of regret, disorientation, and determination, often with just the way his character walks. The supporting turns from Corbett and Heard are strong, too. So why doesn’t Gully flow? It seems to tire of its own ideas, from the video game effects to Jesse’s stilted out-of-body narration. Each member of the crew has his traumas and flaws sketched, but if they’re fleshed out at all it’s due to the acting, not succinct writing. Gully plays out like a Summer day spent in a haze, drifting in and out of stores, wandering the streets, latching onto and off of passing moments. There are compelling performances here, but they aren’t enough to complete the film’s journey.

Our Call: STREAM IT for the acting, which is terrific. But be aware that Gully can’t fully bring to fruition its ideas about cyclical violence, generational trauma, and the healing qualities of friendship.

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges