Writer-director Steven Caple Jr.’s indie crime drama “The Land” drops the “believe,” which fits his take on inner-city Cleveland as a community without hope. Some sports fans call Cleveland “Believeland” because of the city’s devotion to teams that never win (the recent Cavaliers championship aside). Still, the Cleveland locations — along with some memorable visual flourishes via skateboard tricks — show that Caple has a unique eye and a strong sense of place. A grim predictability works against this film; and because the cast is populated by young actors who’ve been in the business for years, “The Land” has a slickness that belies its subject. “The Land” follows a group of teenage skate-rats who make money stealing cars and accidentally break into the big time when they stumble across bags of pills that they decide to sell.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 28, 2016 23:00 UTC