Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)

Director:

Andrzej Bartkowiak

Writers (WGA):

John O'Brien (story)
John O'Brien (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Born 2 the life. True 2 the code. Bad 2 the bone.

Plot:

A jewel thief's daughter is kidnapped after he steals a collection of prized black diamonds, which aren't at all what they seem.

Plot Keywords:

Nose Bleed | Female Nudity | Digits In Title | Intentionally Misspelled Title | Hip Hop

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Jet Li	...	Su
DMX	...	Anthony Fait
Kelly Hu	...	Sona
Anthony Anderson	...	Tommy
Tom Arnold	...	Archie
Mark Dacascos	...	Yao Ling
Gabrielle Union	...	Daria
Michael Jace	...	Odion
Drag-On	...	Miles
Paige Hurd	...	Vanessa
Paolo Seganti	...	Christophe
Richard Trapp	...	Douglas
Ron Yuan	...	Laser Tech
Woon Young Park	...	Bald Enforcer
Johnny Nguyen	...	Ling's Hitman

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin | Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Spain:18 | Canada:18A (Manitoba) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Netherlands:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | USA:R (certificate #39626) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Denmark:15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Silver Pictures

Trivia:

Real life UFC competitors Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell were recruited by producer Joel Silver for the cage fight sequence with Jet Li.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): During the planning scene when Fait is giving out assignments he calls Daria Gabriel.

Quotes:

Fait: You read Chinese?
Archie: No, but I know "cop" in every language.

Movie Connections:

Features SimCoaster (2001) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Paradise

A reasonably workable action picture is undermined by the inclusion of a stupid little girl and a dedicated daddy motive by DMX.

What could have been a reasonably acceptable action vehicle for Jet Li became completely annoying thanks to the obligatory (and ridiculously lame) inclusion of what I'd call Hollywood's fascination with "family values" and "kiddie cuteness". An R-rated action picture is no place for cutesy, resourceful brats and there's nothing more bland than an action hero straddled with a family or family members in peril. It all reeks with middle-class political correctness and made the DMX character an unnecessary annoyance. Real villains would have made short work of the kid's ears and gotten a little cooperation from that rapper a lot sooner. This one's pathetically wimpy, even with Jet versus the ultimate fighting boys; not having any gratuitous nudity is unforgivable also, especially when you set the audience up for some!