In the years 2000 and 2001 Mack Dawg Productions released two movies with only forum team riders in it. The two movies were called The Resistance and True Life, and were a big success. MDP decided not to make a Forum team movie in 2002, and only produced one movie that year named Pulse. Shortly after the release of the movie, MDP announced that the partnership between them and Four Star Distribution (holding company of companies Forum, Foursquare, Special Blend, and new snowboard company Jeenyus). Four Star Distribution was having some financial problems, and decided that making a movie with their talented snowboarders was the best way to make some money.

Not being with MDP presented a number of problems for this film. First, JP Walker, one of Forum's biggest stars, signed a Mack-Dawg-only contract in the early 2000's. Absent with him is Tara Dakides, one of the worlds most influential female snowboarders, who has an injury. Mack Dawg is also widely known for producing the best quality shots, editing, and filmers for overall best quality.

Despite these disadvantages, Video Gangs manages to persevere. They hired Sean Johnson, who filmed my personal favorite Wildcats movies. Young talent on the newly created Jeenyus company team really adds depth to the cause. Eddie Wall and Andreas Wiig have their best parts yet and really make the movie stand out. Bjorn Leines is finally healthy for the entire season, making for one of the best segments in his career as well.

Featuring - Lauri Heikari, Devun Walsh, Chris Dufficy, Jimi Tomer, Pat Moore, Travis Kennedy, Andreas Wiig, Chad Otterstrom, Mike Page, Nate Bozung, Kevin Jones, Morten Vigeland, Peter Line, Eddie Wall, Joni Malmi, and Bjorn Leines.

Jeremy Jones was with Forum when the company was created. His contract expired and Jeremy chose not to re-sign with Forum. To replace Jeremy, Forum signed Lauri Heiskari from Finland. Lauri has the opening part in this movie, and proves he deserves it. He does a bunch of technical railslides along with a list of solid air tricks. He has a great sense of style that is also apparent from his footage.

Devun Walsh and Chris Dufficy are also two riders that have been with Forum since the beginning. Both are part of my favorite Wildcat Crew that is known for using snowmobiles and riding natural terrain features mostly rather than man made. Both Walsh and Dufficy also do some solid moves on handrails, something Walsh is not known for. Walsh's tricks are just oozing with style, with Dufficy's tricks more on the technical style.

The Youngbloods section first appeared in Forum's first movie, The Resistance. It featured Mike Page, Rio Tahara, Mikko Sjoblem, and Nate Bozung, and was one of my favorite parts of the whole movie. The Youngbloods section in Video Gangs has an all new group of three young riders, Jimi Tomer, Pat Moore, and Travis Kennedy. Jimi and Travis have the best moves in the section, with Travis's 50-50 to 180 out off a long handrail being the highlight.

One of the newest riders to hit the scene is Andreas Wiig, now becoming known for his big spins and overall explosive riding style. He busted onto the scene in 2001 in Mack Dawg's film Stand & Deliver. One of his signature tricks is called the "wiig-flip" that is really technical and stylish. One of the main rivals that was keeping up with the early Forum team was Chad Otterstrom who signed a contract with Forum that year. Chad has a ton of style and natural talent and style, plus he is one of the only ones who rides any superpipe in his segment.

One of the more confusing titles in the whole movie is the next one named the "good times" section. It features Mike Page, Nate Bozung, Kevin Jones, Morten Vigeland, and Peter Line, and just shows snowboarding. I don't understand the title because I would think it meant that the riders were now with a different company, which Page, Bozung, and Jones are. But Peter Line and Vigeland are still with Forum and Jeenyus, respectlivy. Oh well, the riding is quite good, with Page being the best.

Another fairly new Jeenyus rider onto the scene is Eddie Wall, who is extremely talented on rails. He does alot of solid stuff on handrails, until it shows him getting injured on one of the rails at the end. Joni Malmi has been with Forum since the creation of the company. I have never really been a big Joni fan, but this segment is really good. Joni only normally rides in the Park making his parts seem stock and non challenging. In Video Gangs he takes it to the backcountry and handrails.

Getting the closing segment is one of the most deserving riders possible, Bjorn Leines. He has also been with Forum since the beginning of that company, and is considered by many to be the best all around snowboarder. He is often injured, so his parts are not as long and impressive as they should be. He is not injured in this one, so he has one of his most impressive filming years in his snowboarding career. So of the handrail stunts he does are just plain crazy.

Overall, Video Gangs is a very enjoyable movie. The music score is good, and the film quality is also good. Great for fans of these riders!

Soundtrack
Intro - "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy
Lauri Heiskari - "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior
Walsh/Dufficy - "'Bout that Time" by Large Professor
Youngbloods - "California Uber Alles" by Dead Kennedys
Andreas Wiig - "Take on Me" by A-Ha
Chad Otterstrom - "Now You're Mine" by Gang Starr
Good Times - "Zillion Dollar Sadist" by Turbonegro
Eddie Wall - "Emerge" by Fischerspooner
Joni Malmi - "Stand in the Shadows" by Billy Idol
Bjorn Leines - "Glass Dance" by the Faint
Credits - "Photographic" by Depeche Mode

Note: This film was the best selling of the year, but Four Star sold all of its brands to Burton Snowboards due to lack of money (still).

Thanks to Millinocket for adding this movie










Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD