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"Daddy, Is It Hard
Out Here For A Pimp?" |
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Directed by Vondie
Curtis-Hall - Written by
Vondie Curtis-Hall,
Darin Scott
Starring Tyrese Gibson,
Meagan Good, The Game,
H. Hunter Hall. Larenz
Tate
Distributed by
Focus/Rogue -
2006 - 97mins - Rated R |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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D+ |
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His son. His life. His freedom. He's taking them all back. |
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As a director, Vondie
Curtis-Hall has had quite the interesting career.
First, there was the Tupac/Tim Roth vehicle "Gridlock'd." While only a
modest blip at the box-office, the film did receive critical praise
and opened the door for Curtis-Hall to expand upon his acting roots.
Unfortunately, he followed that film up with the higher-budget, higher
visibility crash to Earth known as Mariah Carey's "Glitter."
Now, that's a huge fall. As a result, perhaps, Curtis-Hall jumped back
into the old familiar television until this year when he helms his
third, and sadly, worst feature film yet "Waist Deep," starring Tyrese,
Meagan Good, and Larenz Tate in an urban drama centering on one man's
efforts to get back his young son Junior (H. Hunter Hall, Duh!, the
son of the director) from street gangs following a carjacking.
Junior ends up in the hands of Meat (rapper The Game), the head of the
Outlaw Syndicate, and the stage is set for a war of rival elements as
one father fights to free his son.
Didn't I just see this storyline last week in the French film,
"District B13?"
Curtis-Hall, who jumped back into acclaim with last year's Emmy
award-winning "Redemption," starring an Emmy-nominated Jamie Foxx,
flounders here from point one by appearing undecided in which
direction he wants to take "Waist Deep."
"Waist Deep" spends about a third of its time playing like a model
shoot for leads Tyrese and Meagan Good, both remarkably attractive
actors but their repeated obvious gestures of taking off shirts,
removing clothing and showing their bodies becomes incredibly
distracting and annoying.
Then, suddenly, it seems to click for Tyrese...oh wait, I forgot...my
son's life is on the line! I must go kill more people and get him
back!
Then, five minutes later he's doing the same thing again.
The same is true for Meagan Good, a street-hustler who joins forces
with Tyrese (named <giggle> O2 here) in their righteous drive towards
street justice.
By now, it is very possible that you've picked up on my sarcastic
tone. This tone, I hate to say, is evident throughout "Waist Deep."
The end result is an action thriller with nearly non-stop violence
that often ends up being laugh out loud funny.
"Waist Deep" ends up rating higher largely due to the strength of the
performances by Tyrese and Good, a far cry above the dreadful
performance of Mariah Carey in "Glitter." Tyrese has proven previously
that he can act, and he does the best he can given the limited
material here. Likewise, Good adds just the right touch of levity to
the film that allows the audience some breathing room in the non-stop
action.
Beyond the obviously disturbing fact of Curtis-Hall intentionally
casting his own son as the "child in peril," his own son simply
doesn't have the acting chops to pull off the intense, moderately
demanding role. Likewise, rapper The Game, well, isn't quite game for
the "meaty" role of a vicious street thug. His performance is too
often one-note, and while that note is certainly appropriate for the
character it definitely warranted some variation. The Game is,
however, making his acting debut here and it'll be interesting to see
if/how he grows as an actor.
In fairness to Curtis-Hall, it is often difficult to ascertain his
exact vision for the film. This confusion, ultimately, makes it
difficult to surrender to the film's very real action. On more than
one occasion, scenes of intense action involving implausible
situations dissolve into almost comical resolution. This is
particularly true during robberies that are remarkably, and
ridiculously, effective.
Shane Hurlbut's cinematography is appropriately gritty without being
stereotypically depressing, however, his car chases often feel
stifling instead of well-paced and dramatically building.
In a fun bit of novelty casting, Kimora Lee shows up as a woman
selling high-fashion wear out of her home. This scene may be, in fact,
yet another indicator of Curtis-Hall's awareness of the inherent comic
value of the material, which he co-penned with Darin Scott based upon
a story by Michael Mahern.
Fans of the urban street drama will find moments worth watching in
"Waist Deep," however, most cinema fans familiar with Tyrese's growing
body of work will simply shake their heads in disappointment at the
lost opportunity for a powerful, insightful and impactful action
thriller based upon a promising premise.
"Waist Deep," instead skims the surface and spends more time flashing
the bodies of its two attractive leads, playing "gangsta" between
rival factions and, ultimately, ignoring its very premise...saving the
life of 02's child.
It looks like Vondie Curtis-Hall will have to go looking for
redemption again.
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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| Richard Propes
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D+ |
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Jacob Hall
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TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Jacob Hall's
Comment
n/a
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