Dead Presidents (1995)

A Vietnam vet adjusts to life after the war while trying to support his family, but the chance of a better life may involve crime and bloodshed.

Directors:

Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

Writers:

Allen Hughes (story), Albert Hughes (story),

Stars:

Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Larenz Tate	...	Anthony Curtis
Keith David	...	Kirby
Chris Tucker	...	Skip
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Jose
Rose Jackson	...	Juanita Benson
N'Bushe Wright	...	Delilah Benson
Alvaleta Guess	...	Mrs. Benson
James Pickens Jr.	...	Mr. Curtis
Jenifer Lewis	...	Mrs. Curtis
Clifton Powell	...	Cutty
Elizabeth Rodriguez	...	Marisol
Terrence Howard	...	Cowboy (as Terrence Dashon Howard)
Ryan Williams	...	Young Revolutionary
Larry McCoy	...	Nicky
Rodney Winfield	...	Mr. Warren

Storyline

This action film, directed by the Hughes brothers, depicts a heist of old bills, retired from circulation and destined by the government to be "money to burn." However, more broadly, it addresses the issues of Black Americans' involvement in the Vietnam War and their subsequent disillusionment with progress in social issues and civil rights back home in the United States, during the 1960's.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam | heist | 1960s | money | vietnam war | 

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Taglines:

In this daring heist, the only color that counts is green

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence, language, a sex scene and some drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alta Jogada

Filming Locations:

Mount Vernon, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$24,200,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Caravan Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Underworld Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The word "fuck" and its variants are spoken 247 times.

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Goofs

The last American combat marine units left Vietnam in July 1971 as a part of the American withdrawal of troops. Curtis only went home to the Bronx in 1973 after roughly 4 years of service. If Curtis remained in the marines after July 1971, as depicted in the movie, it wasn't as an active combat marine in Vietnam.

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Quotes

Jose: Oh, did you fucking see that, man!
Skip: Motherfucker, you blew up the whole fucking truck, motherfucker!

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Connections

Features Soul Train (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Once Upon A Time"
Written by Dave Hamilton, William Stevenson, Barney Ales & Clarence Paul
Performed by Marvin Gaye & Mary Wells
Courtesy of Motown Record Company, L.P.
By Arrangement With Polygram Special Markets

User Reviews

Tries to do too much

Dead Presidents is an okay movie. Not bad, not great. Okay. I give it a B-.

I give Dead Presidents high marks for casting and acting. Larenz Tate, Chris Tucker, and the rest did a fabulous job. I also like the war scenes--very gripping, very scary.

The problem that I have with the movie is that it spans too many genres and as a result, just seems to drag on and on. The tag line would make you believe that this is a cops and robbers film centered around a major heist. But that is terribly misleading. The heist doesn't happen and isn't even an issue until late in the film. Up to that point you could consider this a life in the ghetto movie, trying to escape the ghetto movie, a Viet Nam war movie, a what life was like for blacks in the late 60's early 70's movie, a what the Viet Nam war did to those who survived it movie, so on and so on. By the time it came around for the big robbery, I was wondering when this movie would end. This problem of too grand a scope keeps the movie from getting an A.