Back to browse
69% Critic Match
Slam
“Words make sense of a world that won't.”
6.9 / 10• 1998• 1h 44m•R• English
Drama
Storyline
Raymond Joshua, a young black performance poet, is arrested and imprisoned for a petty marijuana charge in a Washington, D.C. jail. Although the confining prison walls do little to shield him from danger, it is within those walls that Raymond establishes his identity, strength, and voice and meets a prison gang leader and a prison writing teacher, Lauren Bell. Bell inspires Raymond to use the power of creative expression to free himself from the struggles and demise of the Black male as another victim of the judicial system.
Cast & Crew
Saul Williams
Ray Joshua
Lead
Sonja Sohn
Lauren Bell
BM
Bonz Malone
Hopha
LW
Lawrence Wilson
Big Mike
Beau Sia
Jimmy Huang
AT
Andre Taylor
China
MS
Momolu Stewart
Bay (Jail Rapper)
RJ
Ron Jones
Do Wop Cop
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Marc Levin's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. Slam is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
