Always Outnumbered (1998)

The former prisoner tries to save another's child from repeating of his way.

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers:

Walter Mosley (book), Walter Mosley (teleplay)

Stars:

Laurence Fishburne, Daniel Williams, Bill Cobbs

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Fishburne	...	Socrates Fortlow
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
Jamaal Carter	...	Phillip
John Toles-Bey	...	Stoney Wiley
Brooke Marie Bridges	...	Winnie M'Shalla

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | cancer | los angeles california | employment discrimination | racism | 

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Taglines:

In every man's soul hides a hero.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, and some sexuality and violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Palomar Pictures (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cap that Socrates wears throughout the movie reads "90291", the zip code corresponding to the Los Angeles suburb of Venice (roughly 15 miles west of where this movie takes place). The M'Shalla family moves to Venice at the end of the movie after Howard gets a job offer there.

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Quotes

Socrates Fortlow: You and your friends did wrong, Daryl. Now, I'm just talking to you, one black man to another, alright, 'cause, see, if you don't know when you've done wrong, life ain't worth a damn.

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Connections

Spin-off The Right Mistake

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Soundtracks

Joy To The World
Written by Hoyt Axton (as Hoyt Anton)
Published by Irving Mucsic, Inc.
Performed by Dan Stein
Courtesy of Rondor Music International

User Reviews

Gilding the lily

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).