At first Sam is not comfortable smuggling in the drug (“I’ve never heard Jews complain so much about making money,” someone states).  As time goes on, and he sees all the money he can make, he not only gets more relaxed about it, he soon becomes a recruiter himself (“Your doing a mitzvah for your family,” he tells them).  While this is going on people in the neighborhood begin to talk and it begins to rip apart his family life. 

The reason why this really happened is that someone thought these Jewish people would  make some great smugglers of drug into our country is probably because of how innocent they appear.  Ecstasy pills are not sniffed out by dogs when you fly into customs and agents usually don’t ask Hasidic Jews to open their suitcases. 

One aspect of this movie that is really fun to watch is that while Sam is doing this highly illegal activity, he always remains faithful to his religion and all its teachings.  To give away some of the uncomfortable situations he finds himself would be spoiling parts of the film.  Let’s just say he is clearly out of place when he finds himself at an Amsterdam night club.  It’s also interesting what a natural Sam is when it comes to watching him deal with suppliers when it comes to negotiating.  He is clearly in his element.

If there are complaints to be made, one is the pacing of the movie.  This is director Kevin Asch’s first feature length movie, and he still has much to learn.  The movie is not even 90-minutes, yet it feels longer at times.  Sam motives sometimes come into question too.  We understand he wants to make more money than his father; but, his transition from reluctant mule to smooth operator does not feel fully earned. 

Asch does have a good idea on how to paint a picture with a camera.  Many of the shots he helps to construct, like having a large window in the background so his actors appear as shadows, serves the film well.  He also gets pretty good performances from his supporting cast, Mark Ivanir, who plays Sam’s father, Mendel, really stands out.  The movie is rated R for its use of language, some violence and brief sexuality and is now playing locally.