GANG RELATED
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Sound format: DTS
James Belushi lifted himself out of his career doldrums just long enough to appear in this hard-bitten cop thriller alongside gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur, wherein they play rogue cops who supplement their income by murdering drug dealers and stealing their cash, passing off each crime as 'gang related' incidents. However, this nasty little scam goes pear-shaped when their latest victim (Gregory Scott Cummins) turns out to be an undercover DEA agent, and the guy on whom they try to pin the blame - an alcoholic vagrant (Dennis Quaid) - turns out to have a secret identity of his own. Then things become REALLY unpleasant...
Writer-director Jim Kouf and cinematographer Brian J. Reynolds make little use of the widescreen format, but the film's lack of visual style is somewhat redeemed by its breakneck pace and impressive performances, most notably Belushi and Shakur in dark, multi-faceted roles, and Lela Rochon as their former accomplice, a frightened stripper whose involvement in Belushi's criminal misdeeds places her in mortal jeopardy. James Earl Jones is the famous defence attorney who takes up Quaid's case as soon as the latter's identity is confirmed, and a gaunt-looking Gary Cole provides solid back-up as a dedicated DEA agent determined to nail those responsible for Cummins' death. There's also a pretty fine twist in the tale, in which one of the characters gets what he/she richly deserves, though the wrap-up is perhaps a little too neat for its own good.
Sadly, the movie is dedicated to the memory of Shakur, who was shot and killed in a drive-by incident during the film's post-production process; on this evidence, he was clearly a natural actor and had the makings of a major Hollywood star.
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Sound format: DTS
James Belushi lifted himself out of his career doldrums just long enough to appear in this hard-bitten cop thriller alongside gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur, wherein they play rogue cops who supplement their income by murdering drug dealers and stealing their cash, passing off each crime as 'gang related' incidents. However, this nasty little scam goes pear-shaped when their latest victim (Gregory Scott Cummins) turns out to be an undercover DEA agent, and the guy on whom they try to pin the blame - an alcoholic vagrant (Dennis Quaid) - turns out to have a secret identity of his own. Then things become REALLY unpleasant...
Writer-director Jim Kouf and cinematographer Brian J. Reynolds make little use of the widescreen format, but the film's lack of visual style is somewhat redeemed by its breakneck pace and impressive performances, most notably Belushi and Shakur in dark, multi-faceted roles, and Lela Rochon as their former accomplice, a frightened stripper whose involvement in Belushi's criminal misdeeds places her in mortal jeopardy. James Earl Jones is the famous defence attorney who takes up Quaid's case as soon as the latter's identity is confirmed, and a gaunt-looking Gary Cole provides solid back-up as a dedicated DEA agent determined to nail those responsible for Cummins' death. There's also a pretty fine twist in the tale, in which one of the characters gets what he/she richly deserves, though the wrap-up is perhaps a little too neat for its own good.
Sadly, the movie is dedicated to the memory of Shakur, who was shot and killed in a drive-by incident during the film's post-production process; on this evidence, he was clearly a natural actor and had the makings of a major Hollywood star.