Bait (2000)

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Scheinman (written by) &
Adam Scheinman (written by) ...

Release Date:

15 September 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Alvin Sanders is going to help the Feds catch a killer. He just doesn't know it yet.

Plot:

An ex-con is used by police to lure a criminal out of hiding.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Interrogation | Sex | Torture | X Rayed Skeleton

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jamie Foxx	...	Alvin Sanders
David Morse	...	Edgar Clenteen
Robert Pastorelli	...	Jaster
Doug Hutchison	...	Bristol
Kimberly Elise	...	Lisa Hill
David Paymer	...	Agent Wooly
Mike Epps	...	Stevie Sanders
Jamie Kennedy	...	Agent Blum
Nestor Serrano	...	Agent Boyle
Kirk Acevedo	...	Ramundo
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Julio
Megan Dodds	...	Agent Walsh
Tia Texada	...	Tika
Neil Crone	...	Supervisor
Matthew Witherly	...	Guard

Also Known As:

Piégé (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

Canada | Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Denmark:15 (video premiere) | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Germany:16 (w) | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13 | USA:R (certificate #37646) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

'David Morse' and Doug Hutchison's second film together in a year.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The security at the gold vault at the Federal Reserve is incredibly low tech and is impossible to hack into either via computer or through a wall. Located many stories even below the subway, the only way in or out of the vault is through a ten foot corridor which is rotated at night, sealing the vault. (As a note, there is only a 72 hour air supply once the vault is sealed.) (This information is online at the bank's web site, so it's no secret.)

Movie Connections:

References "The Price Is Right" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Life is Sweet

It's hard to believe...

...that Jamie Foxx would ever deliver such a wonderful, Oscar-winning performance. One of the reasons why I was so impressed with Foxx's performance in "Ray" was because from watching his hammy, obnoxious acting in movies like "Bait" and "Booty Call," I would never imagine he would ever hold the Oscar. If people told me five years ago that Jamie Foxx was one day going to win an Oscar, I would laugh right in their faces. Who knows? Maybe he's better off sticking to drama, because if you watch "Bait," it's clearly evident that comedy is not his forte. I swear, Jamie mugs so much in this movie that I'm surprised his face didn't fall off. And why does he have to do those stupid voices at every chance he gets? Anyone familiar with comedians like Bob Newhart and Steven Wright knows that doing comedy doesn't require being loud and obnoxious. If a joke is funny, it's funny. If it's not funny, then doing some crazy accent is not going to make it any funnier. The problem I have with some comedians who decide to try acting is that they favor getting laughs over being in character. In real life, normal people don't always have witty comebacks and quips. Like Albert Brooks said in an interview discussing his character in "Taxi Driver," it's important to be funny as your character, rather than be funny as a comedian. A prime example of Jamie violating that rule is the nauseatingly awful scene where his mug shots are being taken, and he starts posing for the photographs like a model. If a regular person were being thrown in jail, would he really be acting goofy while having his mug shots taken? And wouldn't the police try to scold him if he was? There are many scenes like that throughout the film. Another awful sequence is one where Jamie is on the unwittingly on the phone with the villain, and he starts doing a phony Caribbean accent. Not funny! Not to mention Jamie never seems to acknowledge the timing of a joke. Giving a comedic performance requires patience, whereas he goes straight to the punchline, whether it's the right time for it or not. I'm not even a big Mike Epps fan, but even his performance is good in comparison to Jamie's. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I felt somewhat relieved whenever he would appear on screen. Epps has the same flaws when it comes to comedy, but at least he chooses a more low-key approach. One of the few bright spots in this clunker of a comedy is David Morse, a highly underrated actor mostly known for his supporting roles as villains. He seems to be the only actor in the film concerned with grounding it in reality. However, fellow "Green Mile" star Doug Hutchison is disgustingly over-the-top as the villain. A big surprise, considering he gave a superb performance in "The Green Mile," also playing a heavy. Antoine Fuqua has proved his directing chops in movies like "The Replacement Killers" and "Training Day." Even in "Bait," he shows he can direct a hell of an action sequence. His only problem seemed to be in disciplining Jamie Foxx, who probably improvised half the script with one bad joke after another. Unless you're a die-hard fan of Foxx, please don't take the bait.