Gang Related (1997)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Jim Kouf

Writer (WGA):

Jim Kouf (written by)

Release Date:

8 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

How do you solve a murder when YOU'RE the killer?

Plot:

Two cops kill an undercover DEA agent by mistake, and frantically try to cover their tracks by framing a homeless man for the crime...

Plot Keywords:

Homeless Man | Homeless | Police | Federal Agent | Loan Shark

Cast

James Belushi	...	Det. Frank Divinci
Tupac Shakur	...	Det. Rodriguez
Lela Rochon	...	Cynthia Webb
Dennis Quaid	...	Joe Doe / William
James Earl Jones	...	Arthur Baylor
David Paymer	...	Elliot Goff
Wendy Crewson	...	Helen Eden
Gary Cole	...	Richard Simms
Terrence 'T.C.' Carson	...	Manny Landrew
Brad Greenquist	...	Richard Stein
James Handy	...	Capt. Henderson
Kool Moe Dee	...	Lionel Hudd
Victor Love	...	Hooper
Robert LaSardo	...	Sarkasian
Perry Anzilotti	...	Vic

Also Known As:

Criminal Intent (International: English title) (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, some violence and a scene with nudity.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:R (certificate #35072) | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | South Korea:18 | UK:15

Company:

Kouf/Bigelow Productions

Trivia:

This was Tupac Shakur's last film, and the first one given full theatrical release after his death on 13 September 1996. His other film, Bullet (1996) made prior to this one only received a limited theatrical run late in 1996 before being released on home video, just before this film was released theatrically in August 1997.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Det. Frank Divinc talks to Joe for the first time about the crime in the car we can clearly see the camera in the reflection of the window. As the scene progress the camera zooms in and a head can be seen next to the camera.

Quotes:

Divinci: We're the teachers, and in our classroom two and two can add up to five if we say it does.

Movie Connections:

Features "Sally Jessy Raphael" (1985)

Soundtrack:

Can't Fix It

Emphasis on plot over realism......

I didn't have very high expectations for this one (partly because I am not terribly keen on James Belushi) but actually, the film was pretty good.

The important thing is to understand the film as a thriller, rather than as a realistic or atmospheric piece. The subject matter and designated environment would point to noir, but the film fails to capture a sense of place or encapsulate an environment and way of life in a way that would justify such a designation. The environment is not actually unrealistic, but again it is not really captured either. Instead, the grit and indeed realism, tends to throw off the viewer, causing him to anticipate a different type of film. "Gang Related" is about plot, and there are a satisfactory number of twists and turns for the viewer. One could easily imagine a movie like this being adapted to the stage.

The acting is generally of a very high standard with strong performances by Shakur and Belushi. The weakness of this film is rather in the fact that the film fails to create or capture a set of especially nuanced characters, and similarly fails to create a strong sense of place. A different director and different cinematography could have done this without substantial alteration. The dramatic twists and turns in the plot also could be considered a weakness, but this would be due to a misunderstanding of the type of story being told, rather than because that story is in itself a bad one.