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Gang Related
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Gang Related (1997) More at IMDbPro »

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Gang Related (1997) -- Open-ended Trailer from Orion

Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   2,468 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Jim Kouf
Writer (WGA):
Jim Kouf (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Criminal Intent on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 October 1997 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
How do you solve a murder when YOU'RE the killer? more
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... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
By the numbers but made more enjoyable by many famous faces and several good performances more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Criminal Intent (International: English title) (USA) (working title)
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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 more
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

Fun Stuff

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. more
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. more
Quotes:
Divinci: We're the teachers, and in our classroom two and two can add up to five if we say it does. more
Movie Connections:
Features "Sally Jessy Raphael" (1985) more
Soundtrack:
Can't Fix It more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful:-
By the numbers but made more enjoyable by many famous faces and several good performances, 27 June 2004
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Detectives Divinci and Rodriguez are crooked cops involved in dealing drugs and murdering the competition. When one of their victims turns out to be an undercover DEA agent, they are put on the case to find the murderer. With DEA agent Richard Simms desperate to get the killer, Divinci and Rodriguez realize that they have to frame someone else for the crime. Settling on homeless man 'Joe', they give him drink, get him to sign a statement and falsify the evidence to make a strong enough case to convict.

I had half wanted to see this film for a few years simply because I am keen to take the few chances I have to try see Tupac acting – for me he was the saviour of Poetic Justice and he is much better than the vast majority of the hip hop 'actors' we have seen recently. The plot here is pretty much a standard thriller plot based around two dirty cops and, although it lacks real flair or imagination, it still manages to do its job and be an enjoyable and occasionally quite gritty little thriller. It could have done with a greater sense of tension though, for the majority of the time it merely unfolds as opposed to being fast paced or very exciting but it is still an enjoyable enough little film even if it pretty much goes where you expect it to.

The cast is a big factor in making this film more interesting and making it rise above the other genre films that it will be competing with on the bottom shelf. Belushi has been in more than his fair share of sh*t video thrillers but here he is actually quite good and seems comfortable with material that, although not great, is certainly nowhere near the low level that he is getting used to. In his last film, Tupac is great and he should be a role model for all hip hop stars who want to act – even just in the choice of role he gives a great example – can you imagine many other rappers playing a corrupt cop with as little glamour as Tupac had? Snoop is a fine example, his last few roles have been versions of the caricature he plays in his music and many other rappers do the same – trading on their image rather than acting. Tupac is far from his gangsta image and he delivers a very down to earth performance – as with several other of his films he made this better by his presence. The gorgeous Lela Rochon is given an eye candy role at the start but she is able enough to make a good performance out of it (as well as having a body and looks to die for!). The smaller roles add the feeling of cast depth even if some of them add little else. Quaid for example has so little to do you wonder why he bothered – he feels like he should be a bigger part of the film but he isn't. For the opposite reason Jones, Cole and Paymer are all quite good because they are minor roles and they just feel like quality padding.

Overall this is not a particularly earth shattering thriller but it does its job well enough and I found it pretty enjoyable. A well-known cast certainly helps to make the material rise slightly above the rest of its genre but it is a great performance by Tupac in a different role that made it for me; if only other rappers were less afraid of their image when making role choices then we may not be experiencing a wave of awful blaxploitation films all over again.

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