Runtime: 119 minutes
Directed by: The Hughes Brothers
Starring: Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodriguez, Rose Jackson
From: Hollywood Pictures/Caravan Pictures
Me seeing some heist films late last month made me realize that I should always check out others in that genre at least once in awhile; this is an example where that act is but one of a few that are presented. It is accurate when I've seen complaints that a lot is stuffed into this two hour runtime (a young Black man named Anthony Curtis grows up in late 60's NYC, he enlists in the Marines and experiences the horrors of war in Vietnam, he has to adjust to post-war life, he and his pals decide to do a daring heist which of course does not go as planned) and perhaps it'd have been even better if it had been like a 3 hour epic tale or even a miniseries.
That said, what was present was still pretty good overall. It was refreshing to see a view of that time period from the Black perspective. Once Tony (yes, the obvious joke is eventually made by someone) returns home he realizes there's a new Black Power movement and that was quite the eye-opener for him. I was always interested in the various people he interacted with, from his baby mama to his pals, including Chris Tucker in a role where he had some actual dramatic moments and was able to deliver a nice performance. And as always it's great seeing Keith David. There was also a nice “I saw what you did there” cameo from a famous face at the end. Believe it or not, it is loosely based on a famous 1981 robbery of a Brink's truck; the event was so infamous it has its own Wikipedia page. Some of the people involved were members of the militant Black Liberation Army movement, including Tupac's stepfather; no kidding.
For me-and others-the real standout of the movie is not the Danny Elfman score, the visceral graphic moments or the cinematography-though all of those elements were presented well. Larenz Tate as Curtis was great but even he is eclipsed by the knockout soundtrack. Old R&B and funk is of interest to me anyway but quality tunes were selected that also managed to fit each particular scene. There's several James Brown songs, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and others. Aurally it was delightful. I am glad there is a nice HD print that can be streamed as somehow this has not been released past DVD. Who knows what the holdup there is although I have some ideas. With any luck, one day it will be out on Blu or even 4K UHD as the movie's good enough where it deserves more attention.
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