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The 51st State
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The 51st State (2001) More at IMDbPro »

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The 51st State (2001) -- An American master chemist plans to score big on a once in a lifetime drug deal. All does not go as planned and he is soon entangled in a web of deceit.

Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   18,477 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ronny Yu
Writer (WGA):
Stel Pavlou (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Formula 51 on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 October 2002 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Comedy | Crime more
Tagline:
Nice Wheels. Dirty Deals. And One Mean Mother In A Kilt. more
Plot:
An American master chemist plans to score big on a once in a lifetime drug deal. All does not go as planned and he is soon entangled in a web of deceit. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Samuel L. Jackson Negotiates With Pirates
 (From Cinematical. 13 May 2009, 4:03 PM, PDT)

Samuel L. Jackson Talks To Pirates
 (From EmpireOnline. 8 May 2009, 1:04 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Pulp fiction meets Brookside! Joy! more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Samuel L. Jackson ... Elmo McElroy
Nigel Whitmey ... L.A. Highway Patrol
Robert Jezek ... Priest

Emily Mortimer ... Dakota Parker

Meat Loaf ... The Lizard
Jake Abraham ... Konokko
Mac McDonald ... Mr. Davidson
Aaron Swartz ... Mr. Yuri
David Webber ... Mr. Jones

Michael J. Reynolds ... Mr. Escobar
Sonny Muslim ... Boy in Plane
Barbara Barnes ... Boy's Mother
Junix Inocian ... Mr. Ho-Fat

Robert Carlyle ... Felix DeSouza
Paul Barber ... Frederick
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Formula 51 (USA)
Formule 51 (Canada: French title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence, language, drug content and some sexuality.
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
UK | Canada
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Continuity: When making the jump onto the garbage barge, the Jaguar's hood is shown lifting. It is down in a close-up of the passengers, and then open again in the next shot. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Elmo: I mean, rules are like, arbitrary, you know. Made up for people who believe in fairy tales like, you know, like Santa Claus. Hey, but not us, right? I mean, we know what's important. There's a war going on, man. A war. Ain't that a bitch?
[cop sucks his teeth]
Elmo: I just graduated today, man. With honors. Got my degree in pharmacology. I'm licensed. Look, if you write me up on this drug charge, I won't be able to practice. So what we're talking about here is, is my life. The rest of it.
[cop lights joint, takes one hit, then discards it]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "HBO First Look: Formula 51 (#9.16)" (2002) more
Soundtrack:
I Don't Know Why more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
27 out of 40 people found the following comment useful:-
Pulp fiction meets Brookside! Joy!, 10 December 2001
7/10
Author: Graham Hughes from Liverpool, England

OK, so the `what' British film industry needs another gangster-flick about as much as Zsa-Zsa Gabor needs another facelift, but this film is worth a look just for the fact that it's not set in London (hurrah!), it's very funny and it features Samuel L. Jackson in a kilt. Coming from Liverpool myself, I loved the fact that someone has taken the effort to make a decent film about my city (the last film set in Liverpool was ‘Beneath the Skin' – shoe-gazing rubbish with Samantha Morton, who couldn't act her way out of a wet paper bag).

Energetically directed by Yu, with flamboyant performances by Carlyle, Ifans et al. 51st State is difficult not to enjoy. Okay, so it's not very deep and meaningful, and the plot may have been done a thousand times before, but that could just about describe almost every film that Hollywood has churned out this year. With film, as with any other entertainment medium, it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.

Moaning about the ‘dodgy' accents or the depiction of Liverpool as a haven for drug dealers and corrupt policemen is pointless nit-picking and should not detract from the fact that 51st State is a lively, refreshing and ultimately entertaining two hours worth of celluloid. It is also a damn sight better than all the British-films-not-made-by-Working-Title that have been released this year.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The 51st State (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Foreign hand gestures KeithFerguson
For People Who Wanted To Know Bout The Song In The PUB chrissmithuk1
every time say '51st state' they hear '50 first dates' burger_time
Rifle shot in the buttocks??! Reality-Bites
It may be because I come from Liverpool but.... cattus3
Kid on plane redwinevino
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