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Urban crime and the politics that drive it is never a good mix. Nor are they the easiest of situations for an individual to get out of clean free. It's amazing though to how at the flick of a switch a decision can change the entire game plan. Taking down crime is a tough issue too. It's astonishing to how difficult it is to make a difference. When it comes to this particular realization, for some it takes all of a day, while others believe in one thing and later on discover they should've listened to their instinct. It's sad because it squanders people who could potentially do something better in the future. Laurence Fishburne plays a character somewhat like this.Here, we see Russell Stevens (Larry Fishburne, as he was called back then) as a much leaner and fast paced officer of the law who looked to make a difference in society. The reason behind this - his father was a drug addict and witnessed his death. So in order to never become what his father was, he joins the force headed by the questionable Carver (Charles Martin Smith) for having a mentality that feels racist without publicly stating it. What Carver ends up having Stevens do is pose as a drug dealer so he can get inside the lead crime circle founded by a man named Gallegos. The interesting part of this story element is that Stevens is doing exactly what he'd hoped he never get close to. His motivations are clear but his judgment is clouded.Perhaps the only thing that's confusing about Fishburne's performance is that with the optimistic outlook that he carries, is barely portrayed with the proper emotion. Most of the time he plays it straight face, with an occasional tone raises here and there. A problem that does arise in the writing is the numerous characters that have little significance to the plot. As for the characters that do have significance, they on the other hand are developed to that of mediocrity. Victoria Dillard plays Betty, some exotic mask seller who also works in the drug ring, I guess. She also has no background or motivation. She also has a thing for Stevens, what a surprise. Then there's Jeff Goldblum who plays a happily married father who also works in the drug ring and sleeps with various other women from time to time. Oh and he enjoys having awkward conversations with Stevens about their freaky sexual experiences,......OK. This isn't a comedy.But if there's one thing that director Bill Duke did right was showing the progression at which how bad things can get. As the running time continues, the audience sees the changes at which Stevens has to make so he can match the crime lord that he's after. It's a big mess though, the title really should've been called Deep Crap or something because the further Stevens stays in the game, it feels harder for him leave. The cinematography by Bojan Bazelli is shockingly not captivating this time. I guess urban landscape isn't his forte. Music related, Michel Colombier's score had an interesting main theme by giving it that early 90s soul feel with bongo drums. Sadly though it wasn't memorable. More could've been done to actually give some emotion to the scenes that were filmed.This intellectual thriller has moments of clever writing and direction but it doesn't occur often enough. The story contains too many unnecessary characters, its leads are mostly underwritten and the music is forgettable.
PeterMitchell-506-564364
One of the better drug movies has Fishburne who's really deceiving himself, going undercover. His reasons for becoming a cop, are seen at the start, where as a kid, one Christmas Eve, he sees his father shot down, after holding up a liquor store. He made a promise to himself that he would never drink or take drugs. Both promises are broken later on. His assignment (where a lot of other black cops failed the interview in quick cut scenes) for a shady superior-a fine Charles Martin Smith takes him on a journey through the underworld of drugs and it's penetrators. This includes scuzzy lawyer, Goldblum, fun here, also a desperate smooth talking pimp, a cowering slug too, with slick and catchy rhymes. His life is soon cut short while beaten to death by a pool cue from one of the real bad nasties of the show, who later challenges Goldblum to a knuckle game, where Goldblum, loses, bad, we too. feel that stinging and throbbing pain through skin. There's a nice sidestory. Fishburne living at one of these halfway houses, has a beautiful neighbor, a latina girl, a crack whore with a kid, again the message of drugs and it's effects, eminent here in this tight solid actioner. Her desperation and dependency on drugs, manifestly shown when trying to sell her boy to Fishburne, a sort of father figure here, as seen in it's ending too. A good angle I liked. Fishburne too, falls for his beautiful associate, her museum, a front for money laundering. I loved Goldblum in the first establishing scene, here. Fishburne says a line from Scarface, this movie, a reference of dialogue, scenes, clips used in so many other movies. This prompts Goldblum to recite a line, bouncing off of Fishburne's. Goldblum, puts his own funny spin on it, adding another line to it, but then again, Goldblum can be a funny guy. Fishburne keeps working his way up, selling drugs, living bigger and better than he ever has, and feeling so much like s..t for it. He even does his first kill, taking down a bad black dude, who shot down one of his younger female associates, earlier. And so he should, not only for that, but also, for taking an open leak on Fishburne's sleek shoes. He's finally swimming with the big fishes, an Italian Godfather, who's acquaintance is one of ugliness, rips a piece of jewellery from Fishburne's ear, where soon he meets the guy at top. Also too, we have that wonderful actor, Clarence (Mod Squad) Williams, the third, an unrelenting DEA agent, who busts Fishburne a couple of times, another pain the arse, he doesn't need. Fishburne recites a passage to William's in the absence of the latina girl, losing her battle with drugs. The dialogue works to pondering truth in this film, though it doesn't ring more true than in Fishburne's voice overs. Not many films do that. One of the writers here, worked on the Richard Gere movie, Internal Affairs, another tight solid plot movie. Deep Cover is obviously an anti drug movie, where all the baddies get their desserts, including Smith. It's a different and interesting drug movie, if being a movie experience in itself. It's informative as well, as we learn a thing or two about the long term effects of drugs, especially where the brain's concerned. Fresh and something different, Deep Cover certainly is. Don't worry, we do have a car chase, shootouts of adequate proportion, and violence, nasty at times, but minimized as in the use of it, with good performances, all around, especially the young girl.
