Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Laurence Fishburne | ... | Socrates Fortlow | |
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Daniel Williams | ... | Darryl |
Bill Cobbs | ... | Right Burke | |
Natalie Cole | ... | Iula Brown | |
Laurie Metcalf | ... | Halley Grimes | |
Alan Wilder | ... | Anton Crier | |
Cicely Tyson | ... | Luvia | |
Bridgid Coulter | ... | Corina M'Shalla | |
Bill Nunn | ... | Howard M'Shalla | |
Isaiah Washington | ... | Wilfred | |
Bill Duke | ... | Blackbird Wills | |
Kevin Carroll | ... | Pegus | |
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Jamaal Carter | ... | Phillip |
John Toles-Bey | ... | Stoney Wiley | |
Brooke Marie Bridges | ... | Winnie M'Shalla |
In Los Angeles, the hot-tempered collector of cans Socrates "Socco" Fortlow is an ex-con that has served a long sentence for killing a man and a woman. Now he is trying to build a new life and find a job. However he is discriminated against his age, color and background. His only friend is Right Burke, who is dying of cancer. He also helps a young woman that is having problems with her husband. When Socco meets the boy Darryl, he finds that Darryl lives with a foster family that does not take care of him. Further, he has just witnessed the murder of another boy by a small-time criminal. Socco helps the boy to grow-up while helps Burke and tries to find work at a supermarket. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Laurence Fishburne is superb as Socrates Fortlow in the HBO movie of Walter Mosley's adaptation of his first book of Fortlow stories. Mosley wove his stories together fairly well in the screenplay. The quest for a job, the serious undertaking of mentoring Darryl, dealing with the dealer/mugger and with the car-jacker are cinematic. Daniel Williams' portrayal of Darryl as a vulnerable discarded child who has to act tough is very, very good. The friendship with Right Burke (Bill Cobbs) is plausible, but having "Right" narrate the film seems unnecessary to me. We can see in Fishburne's performance the kind of many Socrates is without Right telling us how heroic he is.
The relationships with women are less convincing, or at least less compelling. I don't remember what Luvia (Cicely Tyson) has against Socrates. His relationship with Iula Brown (Natalie Cole) lacks chemistry (and screen time).