Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)

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

Director:

Andrzej Bartkowiak

Writers:

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

Stars:

Jet Li, DMX, Mark Dacascos

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jet Li	...	Su
DMX	...	Anthony Fait
Anthony Anderson	...	Tommy
Kelly Hu	...	Sona
Tom Arnold	...	Archie
Mark Dacascos	...	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

Storyline

When his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for priceless diamonds, the leader of a crew of highly skilled urban thieves (DMX) forges an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese Intelligence officer (Jet Li) to rescue her. Their race against the clock to find the precious stones ultimately unravels a plot to distribute a deadly new weapon of war.

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Plot Keywords:

tied up | black woman | african american woman | father daughter relationship | child kidnapping | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin Korean

Release Date:

28 February 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Born 2 Die

Filming Locations:

101 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,521,486, 2 March 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$34,604,054, 11 May 2003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$56,489,558

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point, Arnold Schwarzenegger was slated to star.

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Goofs

During the planning scene when Fait is giving out assignments he calls Daria "Gabrielle." She is played by Gabrielle Union.

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Quotes

Fait: What's your name anyway?
Su: I am Su.
Fait: Yeah, and I'm Sally.

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Crazy Credits

Archie and Tommy riff on various subjects, including who will star in the movie version of their lives, under the end credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Doom (2010)

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Soundtracks

Paradise
Written by LL Cool J (as James Todd Smith), Jean Claude Olivier, Samuel Barnes,
Amerie (as Amerie M.M. Rogers), Kenneth Burke, Allan Wayne Felder (as Allan Felder) and Norma Jean Wright (as Norma-Jean Wright)
Performed by LL Cool J featuring Amerie
Courtesy of Def Jam Records
Amerie appears Courtesy of Columbia Records
Contains samples from "Raising to the Top"
Performed by Keni Burke
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Music
Under license from BMG Strategic Marketing Group

User Reviews

Expect This Cradle Not 2 Rock

Joel Silver and Andrzej Bartkowiak once again brings us another Rap Star/Martial Artist collaboration movie in which I like to call, "Hip-Hop Chopsocky" Flicks. I enjoyed both Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds, however I'm getting the feeling that Silver and Bartkowiak are using a Xerox copy machine to develop the next action flick. Expect everything you saw in the first two films to appear in Cradle 2 The Grave.

Yes, expect all the action sequences to drown the whole plot of the film. Yes, expect DMX to have his hip-hop soundtrack blasting in most of the action scene. Yes, expect the two protaganist of the story to reluctantly get along with each other and then later on to share a common bond at the end of the movie. Yes, expect Jet Li to have the same facial expression throughout the whole film and no more than 10 lines in the movie. Yes, expect the same fat black guy from Kangaroo Jack to be back as the black comic element. Yes, expect Tom Arnold, a guy who was once married to a woman who looked like Kangaroo Jack, to be back as other white comic element of the film. Yes, expect a night club scene and every prop seen in a Hype William music video (i.e. Jacuzzi, champagne, and big booty bitches.) Yes, expect the Rap Star actor do some martial arts of his own. (And I'd like to say to DMX, "Yo dog, stick to rappin', cuz the karate thang ain't you. You got those thin wires making you look good.") And yes, expect Jet Li to fight with his counterpart nemesis, in a ring of fire at the end of the movie. Where the hell is Johnny Cash when you need him!

And as for Jet Li, I do respect him as a martial artist but since he's been making movies in US, his skill have been more half-assed compared to what he did in his Hong Kong Flicks. The scene where Jet fights in a cage match was the only highlight of the film. However, only to be distracted with DMX's action sequences, with camera going from one scene to the other. For me, I'd rather see Jet Li do his stuff than to see DMX being pursued by cops. I live near Oakland and I see that sh*t almost every day.

Overall, I would suggest to save your money and watch Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds at the same time. Or if you don't care what I say...Hell, go spend the $9.00! But remember "the Cradle" is robbing you!