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49-419: Ex-con Otis Samuel Sr. or "O2" on account of his ability to vanish from a crime scene like oxygen, has done his time and is determined to stay out of trouble and never leave his young son, Otis, Jr. When O2 arrives late to pick up Junior from school, he pledges that he will always return for Junior. That promise is put to the test just moments later when O2's vintage 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS Lowrider convertible

98-578: A Tony Award for directing the stage production, written by William Gibson , also starring Bancroft and Duke, and he had directed Bancroft's Broadway debut in playwright Gibson's first Broadway production, Two for the Seesaw . Penn began working on The Train in France in June and August 1963 when star Burt Lancaster had Penn fired after three days of Penn's filming and called on John Frankenheimer to take over

147-489: A Waist of time." In 2011, Complex placed the film at number 25 on its list of the worst movies starring rappers. Complex staff writer Matt Barone said that it could have been an underwhelming yet tolerable hood version of Bonnie & Clyde , had it not been for the casting of Game as the main antagonist that devolves it into "ludicrousness and lack of dramatic resonance" territory, concluding that "Hate it or really hate it, his overacting kills Waist Deep , and not in

196-487: A car (a 1996 Impala SS sedan) and Coco's boyfriend savagely beats her. Seeing this, O2 pistol whips him with his gun before the two retreat to Lucky's home. Lucky, Otis' unreliable cousin who works for Big Meat, the leader of the Outlaw Syndicate, offers to help. After a few hours, Lucky comes back with some bad news: Meat has Junior and demands that O2 deliver $ 100,000 by midnight the next night, or Junior will die. Meat

245-516: A cliche-ridden script and poorly drawn characters that fail to inspire much sympathy." Steve Davis of The Austin Chronicle criticized Curtis-Hall's "cinema vérité" approach to the film, writing that it focuses less on the aspects of "parental instincts" found in Kramer vs. Kramer and Lorenzo's Oil for the violence-driven scenes of Bonnie and Clyde , saying that "In light of such sensationalism ,

294-428: A customizer named Ron Aguirre developed a way of bypassing the law with the use of hydraulic Pesco pumps and valves that allowed him to change ride height at the flick of a switch. Ron Aguirre developed this modification with help from his father, after conceiving of the idea. Aguirre's motivation was to stop being targeted with traffic tickets , as he had been by local police in his city of Rialto, California after

343-588: A firm stance against this practice, but in recent years have reversed this stance, with APD introducing a lowrider police car and the city creating a 'Cruising Task Force' to "promote responsible cruising" in the city. The cities of Española and neighboring Chimayó have become hotspots for lowriders in the northern part of the state. Española is billed as the "lowrider capital of the world". Lowriding culture has also spread to Japan. Junichi Shimodaira continues to import and sell these cars through his business, Paradise Road. The spread of lowrider culture and

392-710: A hand-painted lowrider police car, and the San Jose Police Department planned to participate in the city's Cinco de Mayo lowrider parade with its own lowrider vehicle. In the US state of New Mexico , lowriders play a central role in New Mexican culture , particularly of the Hispanos of New Mexico . In Albuquerque , cruising on Central Avenue ( U.S. Route 66 ) has become a tradition, particularly on Sundays. The city and Albuquerque Police Department (APD) used to take

441-575: A little in 2009, then significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States . In the 2020s, activists argued that the practice was harmless and banning it was simply the result of prejudice against Mexican-Americans. San Jose and Sacramento repealed their bans in 2022 that had been enacted in 1986 and 1988, respectively. In 2022, the California State Assembly unanimously passed

490-406: A lower placement of the passenger compartment. This was a transitional step between conventional perimeter frame construction and the later fully unitized body/chassis, the body structure was strengthened in the rocker panels and firewall. This frame was not as effective in protecting the interior structure in a side impact crash, as a conventional perimeter frame. Lowrider cars had their origins in

539-535: A moment to think about it." IGN contributor Stax also praised the performances of Gibson and Good, calling the former "sensitive yet charismatic" and the latter "vivacious and scene-stealing", for elevating the material that Curtis-Hall peppers with tense action scenes, concluding that "[W]hile Waist Deep offers precious little that hasn't been seen in dozens of other "lovers on the lam" movies and urban crime pics, its energy, wit, effective lead performances and taut direction save this old-fashioned B-movie from being

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588-407: A ramshackle, eccentric story of a horse thief ( Jack Nicholson ) facing off with an eccentric bounty hunter (played by Marlon Brando ). In the 1980s, Penn's career began to lose its momentum with critics and audiences. Four Friends (1981) was a traumatic look back at the 1960s. Target (1985) was a mainstream thriller reuniting the director with Gene Hackman , and Dead of Winter (1987)

637-454: A resolution urging all remaining cities with bans (including National City , which banned it in 1992) to repeal them. In 2023, California rescinded state restrictions on the height of vehicle bodies and superseded local regulations against cruising. In 2020, police in Albuquerque , New Mexico introduced a lowrider police car in a reversal of the city's anti-lowriding policies. In 1959,

686-430: A set of safe deposit box keys belonging to numerous banks. The next day, they stage a number of bank robberies and are able to retrieve expensive jewelry, which Lucky offers to get rid to prove his worth. When Lucky takes the jewelry to Big Meat unknowing that it belongs to Big Meat, Lucky is forced to set up a meeting between himself, O2, and Coco, with Big Meat along to end O2. They take the car to an alley and give him

735-456: A story of a large-scale littering incident that had happened in the town two years prior. He contacted Arlo Guthrie , received permission to adapt his song " Alice's Restaurant Massacree " into a film, and secured Guthrie's participation as well as several other Stockbridge town residents while filming in many of the same locations where the events took place. The film Alice's Restaurant was released in 1969. Guthrie later stated in 2023 that he

784-407: A thriller following events in a small corrupt Southern town on the day an escaped convict, played by Robert Redford , returns. Penn was excluded from the post-production process, which was instead overseen by producer Sam Spiegel . However, the film was still praised by critics, with Dave Kehr later calling it one of Penn's "most personal and feverishly creative works". Also that year, he directed

833-423: Is stolen from him at gunpoint in the middle of a crowded Southland intersection with Junior in the back seat, kidnapping him in the process. O2 chases the car and gets into a nasty gun battle with the carjackers, but to no avail. O2 catches up with Coco, a woman who sells stolen suits for P Money. O2 knows she is the one who marked him for the carjacking, and he forces her to help him retrieve Junior. The two steal

882-503: The California Vehicle Code went into effect on January 1, 1958, prohibiting cars modified to shift the vehicle body lower than the bottoms of its wheel rims. In 1959, mechanic Ron Aguirre bypassed the law by installing hydraulics that could quickly toggle the height of a General Motors X-frame chassis. Lowriding became widely popular in the 1980s and 1990s, and bans were enacted in many California cities. It regained popularity

931-721: The San Francisco International Film Festival . Penn was born in 1922, to a Russian Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Sonia (Greenberg), a nurse, and Harry (Tzvi) William Penn, a watchmaker, both natives of then Novoaleksandrovsk, Russia, now Zarasai , Lithuania. He was the younger brother of Irving Penn , the fashion, portrait and still life photographer. During his early years, he moved in with his mother after she divorced his father. Some time after, he came back to his sickly father, leading him to run his father's watch repair shop. At 19, he

980-468: The "love on the run" subgenre in the wake of Bonnie and Clyde, peaking with Badlands (1973; in which Penn received acknowledgement in the credits). Beatty had given him 10% of the potential profits of the film before production started and the success of the film earned Penn over $ 2 million. At the time he had completed Bonnie and Clyde , Penn was residing in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, when he heard

1029-559: The 1940s, when Mexican American veterans began customizing vehicles to run "low and slow", a contrast to the hot rod that was customized for speed. During the Chicano Movement in the 1970s, lowriders formed car clubs that began to help their community by using these cars for fundraising. Lowrider cars are typically elaborately painted and decorated, often using graphic art of significance to Chicano culture. At first, lowriders were only seen in places such as Los Angeles, especially in

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1078-540: The 1970s on Whittier Boulevard when lowriding came to its peak. Whittier was a wide commercial street that cut through the barrio of the city in Los Angeles, California. Throughout the 1970s that culture spread throughout the Central Valley and San Jose areas of California, helped by release of the funk song “ Low Rider ” by War , and creation of low riding clubs such as Carnales Unidos in 1975, and further expanded with

1127-627: The band War , highlighting the culture, reached #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the 1990s, low riders became strongly associated with West Coast Hip hop and G-Funk culture. Eazy-E , Mack 10 , Ice Cube , Dr. Dre , Snoop Dogg , The Game , Warren G , South Central Cartel , Above the Law and John Cena (In a music video of "Right Now") among others featured low riders prominently in their music videos. Arthur Penn Arthur Hiller Penn (September 27, 1922 – September 28, 2010)

1176-432: The biographical crime film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), the comedy Alice's Restaurant (1969), and the revisionist Western Little Big Man (1970). Penn was nominated for three Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Play , winning in 1959 for The Miracle Worker , a play based on the childhood of Helen Keller . He received his first Oscar nomination for directing the 1962 film version . His other notable films included

1225-507: The car, and alert the police. O2 hides in a parking lot and tells Coco to take Junior to the Mexican border while he outruns the cops. As Junior and Coco escape, O2 is tailed by the cops. They run him to a dead end where the lake is. O2, realizing he has no choice, drives into the water. Later in Mexico, Coco and Junior are living in a house on a beach. They are walking on the beach when they see O2 in

1274-461: The distance and then reunite. The film debuted at #4 behind Click , Disney / Pixar 's Cars , and Nacho Libre , grossing $ 9,404,180 from 1,004 theaters with a $ 9,366 average in its opening weekend. Altogether, the film grossed $ 21,353,303. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes has the film at a 28% approval rating based on 76 reviews, with an average score of 4.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A well-meaning B-movie that suffers from

1323-484: The efforts [of Waist Deep ] to make some meaningful social commentary about street gangs and the vicious circle in which African-American men often find themselves seem like an afterthought, rather than anything remotely sincere." Wesley Morris , writing for The Boston Globe , said that the movie captures the 2003 Jay-Z and Beyoncé duet more than the 1967 Arthur Penn classic with its monotonous chases and middling supporting cast that make up Curtis-Hall's take on

1372-525: The fame of Paradise Road even attracted the attention of Ed Roth , who is famous for creating custom cars such as hot rods and a prominent figure in Kustom Kulture . Since the introduction of lowriders in Japan and the rise of lowriders in Japan in 2001, it is estimated that there are still 200 car clubs that are related to the lowrider scene that are still active to this day. The 1975 song " Low Rider " by

1421-487: The film lacks the energy and pizzazz to work as lurid pulp. Like the forgotten blaxploitation schlock it often resembles, the film aspires to nothing but cheap thrills, but while it's plenty cheap, it's far from thrilling." Entertainment Weekly writer Gregory Kirschling gave the film a "B" grade, saying that Curtis-Hall infuses the B-level urban fantasy plot with some "surprising social and emotional flavorings rarely found in

1470-553: The film. In 1965 Penn directed Mickey One . Heavily influenced by the French New Wave , it was the dreamlike story of a standup comedian (played by Warren Beatty ) on the run from sinister, ambiguous forces. In 2010, Penn commented: "You know, you could not have gone through the Second World War with all that nonsense with Russia being an ally and then being the big black monster. It was an absurd time. The McCarthy period

1519-534: The genre." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said that the movie manages to capture the "freewheeling spirit" of the tried and true formula it uses to go along with the stylish scenes and felt both Gibson and Good had solid chemistry and carried their roles with expertise, concluding that "Sure, there's probably no good reason to watch Waist Deep . But if you start watching it, Waist Deep gives you no good reason to stop. It doesn't even give you

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1568-430: The hood film genre, saying "It's [also] as if the only way he could justify making another movie smitten with thug life is by having the characters commit their crimes amid a climate of civic activism." The A.V. Club ' s Nathan Rabin gave the film a "D" grade, saying " Waist Deep might have succeeded had Curtis-Hall pushed the outrageousness of his potboiler premise to the level of comic-book Grand Guignol , but

1617-599: The life of a white man (played by Dustin Hoffman ) who gets adopted into the Cheyenne tribe. In 1973 Penn provided a segment for a promotional film for the Olympics titled Visions of Eight along with several other major directors such as John Schlesinger and Miloš Forman . His next film was Night Moves (1975) about a private detective (played by Gene Hackman ) on the trail of a runaway. Next came The Missouri Breaks (1976),

1666-513: The mid-to-late 1940s, and grew during the post-war prosperity of the 1950s within Mexican-American youth culture. Conversion of standard production vehicles included adding lowering blocks and cut-down spindles , reduced-length suspension spring coils , and creating "Z frames" from stock straight frames . The purpose of lowriders, as their motto "Low and Slow" suggests, is to cruise as slowly and as smoothly as possible. Section 24008 of

1715-464: The money. It is revealed that Big Meat never intended to let Junior live and signals one of his men to kill Junior. Lucky sees this and tackles him as the man shoots, one shot hit Lucky in the side of the chest. O2 kills Meat and his men and retrieves Junior. They stop at a gas station to attend to Lucky's wound. O2 tells Lucky they will get him to a hospital, but Lucky dies from his wounds. Distress from O2’s discovery causes him to briefly lose control of

1764-415: The neo-noir Night Moves (1975) and the revisionist Western The Missouri Breaks (1976). In the 1990s, he returned to stage and television direction and production, including an executive producer role for the crime series Law & Order . By his death in 2010, Penn was the recipient of several honorary accolades, including an Honorary Golden Bear , a Tony Award , and an Akira Kurosawa Award from

1813-703: The original wheels. They are often fitted with hydraulic systems that allow height adjustable suspension , allowing the car to be lowered or raised by switch. From 1958 to 2023, the California Vehicle Code made lowriding illegal, which was ultimately criticized as unnecessary and discriminatory toward Chicano and broader Latin American culture . Lowrider car culture began in Los Angeles , California , in

1862-554: The publishing of Low Rider magazine by San Jose State students in 1977. At its peak in 1988, Low Rider magazine had monthly sales of over 60,000 copies. Lowriders were featured in the 1979 film Boulevard Nights , which some blamed for associating lowrider culture with street gangs. A mural in Chicano Park celebrates the lowrider culture. In 2024, the Oceanside, California community and its police department collaborated to create

1911-589: The slang term sense." Lowrider A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body that emerged among Mexican American youth in the 1940s. Lowrider also refers to the driver of the car and their participation in lowrider car clubs , which remain a part of Chicano culture and have since expanded internationally. These customized vehicles are also artworks, generally being painted with intricate, colorful designs, unique aesthetic features, and rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires . Lowrider rims are generally smaller than

1960-465: The stage version of the thriller Wait Until Dark starring Lee Remick and Robert Duvall . He reunited with Warren Beatty for the gangster film Bonnie and Clyde (1967). The film went on to become a worldwide phenomenon. It was strongly influenced by the French New Wave and itself went on to make a huge impression on a younger generation of filmmakers. Indeed, there was a strong resurgence in

2009-459: The statewide ban was enacted. 1958 saw the emergence of the Chevrolet Impala , which featured an X-shaped frame that was perfectly suited for lowering and modification with hydraulics. The standard perimeter-type frame was abandoned, replaced by a unit with rails laid out in the form of an elongated "X." Chevrolet claimed that the new frame offered increased torsional rigidity and allowed for

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2058-548: Was a featured commentator in the documentary Fully Awake about the college. After making a name for himself as a director of quality television dramas, Penn made his feature debut with The Left Handed Gun (1958) for Warner Brothers . A retelling of the Billy the Kid legend, it was distinguished by Paul Newman 's portrayal of the outlaw as a psychologically troubled youth (the role was originally intended for James Dean ). The production

2107-405: Was a horror/thriller. Subsequently, Penn returned to work in television, including as an executive producer for the crime series Law & Order . Penn maintained an affiliation with Yale University, occasionally teaching classes there. In 1955, he married actress Peggy Maurer. They had two children: son Matthew Penn and daughter, Molly Penn. Penn became friends with Alger Hiss during

2156-479: Was an American filmmaker, theatre director, and producer. He was a Tony Award winner, and was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Director , as well as a BAFTA Award , a Golden Globe , two Primetime Emmys . As a member of the New Hollywood movement , Penn directed several critically-acclaimed films dealing with countercultural issues of the late 1960s and 1970s, notably the drama The Chase (1966),

2205-400: Was angered by the film, believing Penn and his co-writer had come to a fundamentally wrong conclusion about whether or not hippie values were still relevant, and had walked out of the film's premiere; Alice Brock and Richard Robbins, who were also portrayed in the film, were similarly offended. Penn followed up Alice's Restaurant in 1970 with Little Big Man , a "shaggy dog" account of

2254-561: Was completed in only 23 days, but Warner Brothers reedited the film against his wishes with a new ending he disapproved of. The film failed upon release in North America, but was well received in Europe. Penn's second film was The Miracle Worker (1962), the story of Anne Sullivan 's struggle to teach the blind and deaf Helen Keller how to communicate. It garnered two Academy Awards for its leads Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke . Penn had won

2303-863: Was drafted into the United States Army during World War II (1943–1946), serving as an infantryman in the Battle of the Bulge . While stationed in Britain, he became interested in theater. He started to direct and take part in shows being put on for the soldiers around England at the time. As Penn grew up, he became increasingly interested in film, especially after seeing the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane . He later attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina, and

2352-473: Was once O2's partner and thinks O2 still has the $ 100,000 they made off their last job together. O2 comes up with a plan: he and Coco will rob P Money's and Meat's own operations, staging it to look like one is stealing from the other, and triggering a gang war that will hopefully eliminate both and help O2 and Coco rescue Junior. After a successful robbery of one of the Big Meat's locations, O2 and Coco come across

2401-401: Was ridiculous and humiliating, deeply humiliating. When I finally did 'Mickey One', it was in repudiation of the kind of fear that overtook free people to the point where they were telling on each other and afraid to speak out. It just astonished me, really astonished me. I mean, I was a vet, so it was nothing like what we thought we were fighting for." Penn's next film was The Chase (1966)

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