A Man Apart (2003)

A man known as Diablo emerges to head a drug cartel after the previous leader is imprisoned.

Director:

F. Gary Gray

Writers:

Christian Gudegast, Paul Scheuring

Stars:

Vin Diesel, Timothy Olyphant, Larenz Tate

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vin Diesel	...	Sean Vetter
Larenz Tate	...	Demetrius Hicks
Timothy Olyphant	...	Hollywood Jack
Geno Silva	...	Memo Lucero
Jacqueline Obradors	...	Stacy Vetter
Steve Eastin	...	Ty Frost
Juan Fernández	...	Mateo Santos
Jeff Kober	...	Pomona Joe
Marco Rodríguez	...	Hondo (as Marco Rodriguez)
Mike Moroff	...	Gustavo Leon
Emilio Rivera	...	Garza
George Sharperson	...	Big Sexy
Malieek Straughter	...	Overdose
Alice Amter	...	Marta
Jim Boeke	...	Bad Cop

Storyline

Sean Vetter and Demetrius Hicks are members of the DEA who are fighting an ongoing drug war on the California/Mexico border, they are most successful at it because of their edge of growing up on the street and being thugs converted to cops. The DEA busts one of the major players by the name of "Memo" Lucero and imprison him in the United States but then a major player named Diablo then takes over the business and now he is now the major player targeted by Vetter and his team. But when Vetter's wife is killed in a botched hit organized by Diablo, he seeks revenge against those responsible and in the process has to seek help from the imprisoned Lucero in order to catch Diablo. But in the process, Vetter and Hicks have to fight their way up the chain to get to Diablo but it's easier said than done when all Vetter can focus on is revenge...

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Plot Keywords:

bust | drug cartel | justice | tragic hero | murder of a nude man | 

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Taglines:

When they took his love... they took his life. On April 4th. he's taking it back.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence, language, drug content and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

official website

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 April 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

El Diablo

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,019,224, 6 April 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$26,183,197, 11 May 2003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,350,926, 18 January 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

"DIA" Productions GmbH & Co. KG,Joseph Nittolo Entertainment,New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After poor test screenings, New Line had 15 Minutes (2001) director John Herzfeld come in and shoot some additional scenes - notably the ending, and cemetery finale - to wrap things up. Also, dialogue scenes were cut, and some scenes also shortened to speed up the pace. This caused the film to miss several release dates. Regular Herzfeld composer J. Peter Robinson also worked on some new score to jazz things up. New Line also had to change the name from El Diablo, due to a law suit from the game developer Blizzard. Potential titles included Push The Limits, Diablo (no El in front), Sean Vetter, Vetter and This Man's Dominion. A Man Apart was finally chosen as the studio felt it suited the theme of the film.

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Goofs

When Sean is questioning Overdose on the front porch Overdose's necklace disappears and reappears between shots.

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Quotes

Sean Vetter: Watch your language.
Hollywood Jack: Ohh, I'm sorry buddy. Let me rephrase: FUCK YOU!

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Connections

Referenced in Sean Bradley Reviews: Fast and Furious 8 (A.K.A. 'The Fate of the Furious') (2017)

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Soundtracks

What It Is
Written by Victor "X-Man" Taylor, Joyce Tolbert and T-Kuwani Robinson
Performed by Joyce Tolbert featuring X-Man
Courtesy of Cyber Street Records

User Reviews

A Man Apart doesn't set itself apart from other vigilante movies

When I rate a movie or give my opinion of a movie, I try my best to compare it to other movies like it. For example, if it is a drama about family, I use other dramas about families as a benchmark. "A Man Apart" is definitely a vigilante film. Sean Vetter's (Vin Diesel) wife was murdered and he is out to find the killer. If you want a reference for a vigilante film, see just about any Charles Bronson movie, or some of the movies with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwazzenegger, or Steven Segal. One of my personal favorite vigilante movies is the Denzel Washington starred "Man on Fire".

Comparatively, "A Man Apart" doesn't quite match up. Whether it was how the movie was done, or it was Vin Diesel, I didn't quite feel the pain of Sean when he lost his wife. This type of movie is dependent upon the drive of the main character and getting the audience to understand or feel that same drive. Sure, most of us would understand a man seeking revenge or justice for the wrongful death of his wife, but the character still has to have some type of charisma or believability. Vin Diesel is too one dimensional to show a wide range of emotions, and there weren't enough scenes showing the bond between Sean and his wife for me to be too upset when she was killed. In the end, the movie was about a vigilante seeking justice who I wanted to succeed, but I was still indifferent about.