breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com Urban crime and the politics that drive it is never a good mix. Nor are they the easiest of situations for an individual to get out of clean free. It's amazing though to how at the flick of a switch a decision can change the entire game plan. Taking down crime is a tough issue too. It's astonishing to how difficult it is to make a difference. When it comes to this particular realization, for some it takes all of a day, while others believe in one thing and later on discover they should've listened to their instinct. It's sad because it squanders people who could potentially do something better in the future. Laurence Fishburne plays a character somewhat like this.Here, we see Russell Stevens (Larry Fishburne, as he was called back then) as a much leaner and fast paced officer of the law who looked to make a difference in society. The reason behind this - his father was a drug addict and witnessed his death. So in order to never become what his father was, he joins the force headed by the questionable Carver (Charles Martin Smith) for having a mentality that feels racist without publicly stating it. What Carver ends up having Stevens do is pose as a drug dealer so he can get inside the lead crime circle founded by a man named Gallegos. The interesting part of this story element is that Stevens is doing exactly what he'd hoped he never get close to. His motivations are clear but his judgment is clouded.Perhaps the only thing that's confusing about Fishburne's performance is that with the optimistic outlook that he carries, is barely portrayed with the proper emotion. Most of the time he plays it straight face, with an occasional tone raises here and there. A problem that does arise in the writing is the numerous characters that have little significance to the plot. As for the characters that do have significance, they on the other hand are developed to that of mediocrity. Victoria Dillard plays Betty, some exotic mask seller who also works in the drug ring, I guess. She also has no background or motivation. She also has a thing for Stevens, what a surprise. Then there's Jeff Goldblum who plays a happily married father who also works in the drug ring and sleeps with various other women from time to time. Oh and he enjoys having awkward conversations with Stevens about their freaky sexual experiences,......OK. This isn't a comedy.But if there's one thing that director Bill Duke did right was showing the progression at which how bad things can get. As the running time continues, the audience sees the changes at which Stevens has to make so he can match the crime lord that he's after. It's a big mess though, the title really should've been called Deep Crap or something because the further Stevens stays in the game, it feels harder for him leave. The cinematography by Bojan Bazelli is shockingly not captivating this time. I guess urban landscape isn't his forte. Music related, Michel Colombier's score had an interesting main theme by giving it that early 90s soul feel with bongo drums. Sadly though it wasn't memorable. More could've been done to actually give some emotion to the scenes that were filmed.This intellectual thriller has moments of clever writing and direction but it doesn't occur often enough. The story contains too many unnecessary characters, its leads are mostly underwritten and the music is forgettable.

lastliberal Bill Duke has had a long and illustrious career as an actor (X-Men: The Last Stand, Action Jackson, Predator), a producer and writer, and as a director (Hoodlum, Deacons for Defence, The Killing Floor). In what could have been a routine blaxplotation film, he gives us a compelling story that was a thrill to watch.That is not to say that the penultimate chapter could not be predicted a mile away by anyone who is familiar with our government and the fact that they would sacrifice American citizens for the sake of some tin-horn dictator. However, the final chapter in this film gives us some satisfaction as we see those agency scumbags and two-bit congressmen getting their due.Laurence Fishburne was magnificent as a cop sent undercover to bust drug kingpins. He goes deeper and deeper and soon there is no way to tell the difference. Is there a spark of humanity left inside? One can only hope.Jeff Goldblum was equally good as his partner in crime. Clarence Williams III was the best I have seen him as a cop, who was Fishburne's conscience.Great film about undercover police work and the effect it can have on a cop.

thomasw-5 Hard-hitting and stylish, this film quickly moves beyond the usual notion of 'undercover drug work' into an altogether more practical & unpleasant understanding...The film is well-paced and, most appropriately for this year, introduces a female art-gallery owner as it develops a relationship subplot. As the story progresses, the film breaks boundaries further & demonstrates an exceptionally sharp sensibility -- but fairly much returns to the standards for the climactic scene.While not a Scorsese or Tarantino masterpiece, this film is very highly recommended.

cinematicus This film is up there, indeed at times exceeds the Hollywood remake of the BBC miniseries, Traffic, as a no-holds barred merciless look at the medium echelons of the drug trade and the so-called war on drugs in the United States during its time. I only gave it only an 8 because it is not exactly classic cinema material, although it is a valuable addition to any film library.Technically, the film is remarkable for a strong performance from the lead and support cast - look out for a chilling performance by Gregory Sierra as Felix Barbosa. Charles Martin Smith, playing Laurence Fishburne's DEA handler, has got the federal bureaucrat part down pat - I'm afraid to say , as always since he tends to get typecast in only this kind of role. Lawrence Fishburne turned in a stoic yet raging performance that was believable and easy to root for. Only problem, is that he too ended up being type cast in largely the same persona. Jeff Goldblum, mercurial and sharp as always added a lot of the flair of the film. Also hats off to the woman who played Fishburne's single mother/drug addict neighbor (I didn't catch her name). The rest of the supporting cast really enriched the story.The cinematography and editing were very effective and innovative for their time. Choppy editing with successive close ups was soon picked up by many future copycat films. This film was one of the original ones to use that editing idiom. The soundtrack also worked well , reflecting much of the cynicism and despair that pervades the movie ; at some moments the score enhanced chilling situations audibly, as it were.All this means that Bill Duke (and the producers) did a very good job.===== WARNING: SPOILERS - Possible spoilers ahead ===== Now story-wise, this has got to be one of the grimmest scripts to make it to production at the time. After seeing a film like the Player, I was surprised how that script ever made it to the big screen. Kudos for letting this film be made, really.I won't repeat the outlines of the plot - you can read the plot summary for that. The story could sound as a cliché along the lines of "all i wanted was to do good as a cop but they turned me into a drug dealer." But it is not cliché at all. The script is so well paced that the stakes are periodically raised higher and higher, and the key moments of the film are timed such that they exert their full dramatic effect. The stakes are raised as high as they can be in the context of the story and the twists do not insult this viewer's intelligence. There were probably plot holes, but I missed them - I was busy enjoying the movie.--- end spoilers --- This film is too dark for children and even early teens, but for the rest of the world it is a thought-inducing and worthy film, as a drama, a social/political critique and as a thriller/action/cop flick.