MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Crime Thriller/Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, Yvette Heyden, Charles Martin Smith, Victoria Dillard, Gregory Sierra, David Weixelbaum, Glynn Turman, Arthur Mendoza, Clarence Williams III, Roger Guenveur Smith, James T. Morris, Alisa Christensen, Roberto Luis Santana, Kamala Lopez, Lira Angel, Rene Assa, Alex Colon, Jaime Cardriche, Sandra Gould, Sydney Lassick, John Boyd West, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Paunita Nichols, Clifton Powell, Lionel Matthews, Cory Curtis/Runtime: 108 minutes
I think it can safely be argued that, for as long as cinema has been an art form to say nothing of in existence, one genre that has been around since the beginning would have to be the crime film. Of course, is it really all that surprising? I mean not only do the vast majority of films that fall under that distinct label provide audiences with a fairly delightful adrenaline rush in the form of thrills that occur at some point during the story, but they also permit us to utilize both our minds and our imagination whilst also allowing us to witness the dark side of who we could be as people from a relatively safe distance without (hopefully) encouraging the viewer to wind up and/or act like those human beings they see on screen at the same time. Among the many subgenres that make up this category however, there is one that I think is worthier of mention here than the others for reasons I’m sure will make itself obvious as this review goes on. That being the subgenre known as the “undercover cop” subgenre. A subgenre that, according to the Oxford-Webster Dictionary (not really) is best defined as one where “a member of law enforcement is recruited to infiltrate a section of the criminal element due to their illegal actions only to, the longer they stay amidst the individuals they are trying to bust, find themselves being torn between their duties as a member of the law and the new-found friends/family they have made”. Yet besides the films in this subgenre that have become an iconic part of cinema as a whole including such gems as the 1991 Point Break, the first entry in the Fast and Furious franchise, and Donnie Brasco among others there are of course entries that have sadly fallen a bit under the radar as well. In fact one of those under the radar gems, in the form of a 1992 slice of cinema known as Deep Cover, just happens to be the movie I am reviewing for you today and I must admit that, although I had heard of this movie from various individuals, I had not ever gotten around to seeing it in full until about 48 hours ago. Not because I didn’t want to, but because a guy can only see so many movies in a day folks….Having seen it however, I can safely say that I am glad I did because I dig the heck out of this movie. To be sure, it’s not a perfect film, but with the aid of top-flight work on both sides of the camera Deep Cover is definitely one thrilling, haunting, and even thought-provoking cinematic crime saga that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat whilst also giving you something significant to ponder long after the credits have begun to roll….
The plot is as follows: Deep Cover gets its intriguing story underway by taking us to the Christmas season in the long-ago year of 1972 where we witness alongside a young boy by the name of Russell Stevens as his drug-addicted and more than slightly inebriated father attempts, and tragically fails, to rob a local liquor joint. An incident that not only significantly traumatizes the young man due to the aftermath of the incident, but which causes him to make a vow that no matter what he will never wind up like his dad. Close to 2 decades later and we see that the grown-up Stevens has done everything he can to live up to that promise right down to never touching a drop of alcohol and becoming a member of the police force in Cincinnati. As upstanding as our hero has been up to this point in his life however, we see that it’s about to be put to a serious test. This is because it isn’t long into the story that we see a special agent for the DEA by the name of Gerald Carver come up by Stevens’ precinct looking for an officer to help with a special assignment that, upon meeting our hero, he feels he would be perfect for. That assignment being to make the move out to Los Angeles and pose (or go undercover if you prefer the proper terminology) as a low-level drug dealer and find a way to both weasel into and proceed to start weaving through the various individuals that make up the drug organization of one Anton Gallegos, the largest importer in that part of the country incidentally and his South American politician diplomat uncle Hector Guzman respectively. It isn’t long into his assignment however that we see our hero cross paths with not only a fairly jittery bottom-feeder in Gallegos’ operation named Eddie Dudley, but also an attorney by the name of David Jason who is also a key cog in Gallegos’ schemes. It is the latter individual who perhaps might be a bit on the more important side to our story however because we soon see that our hero starts to become a welcome ally to the good counselor especially when he learns what David has been cooking up on the side. As David and Stevens, going under the name of John Hull, get closer however and Stevens starts to descend more and more into the criminal underworld, especially when taking into account that he not only has to legitimately sell the drugs he buys to say nothing of be prepared to whack the competition if necessary, it isn’t long before things start to get dangerously blurry in terms of what’s right and what’s wrong for our hero. Thus can our hero keep himself and his assignment on track despite being very much a thriving part of the abyss he swore he would never be a part of or are the vices that took his father about to prove that they have the power to take him too? That I will leave for you to discover….
Now right off, it should be said that the work done by the various departments behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing is incredibly solid. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with the work done by Bill Duke (Mac in 1987’s Predator) at the helm. Indeed not only does Duke do an effective job of really tapping into such hard-hitting issues as the effects of drug addiction on a given community and how the line between good and evil when it comes to the pursuit of justice is definitely dangerously uncertain more often than not, but he also does a fantastic job of combining the blaxploitation and noir genres of movie magic into a film that effectively manages to be both of those whilst also being very much its own thing as well. A feat he pulls off by not only incorporating certain plot points common in blaxploitation films, but also by casting such icons of blaxploitation cinema as Clarence Williams III and Glynn Turman in key roles whilst also ensuring that, much in the vein of the best examples of noir cinema, the entire film is drenched right from the word go in an equal blend of both suspense and moral uncertainty respectively. Suffice it to say it’s potent work and definitive proof of the man’s talents as a director (besides being an iconic character actor in his own right). Along with Duke’s remarkable work at the helm, this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of an extremely well-written screenplay by Michael Tolkin and Henry Bean. Indeed this dynamic writing duo does a fantastic job of managing to merge together incredibly thought-provoking political analysis with the grim truth of being caught up in a lifestyle revolving around drugs. More than that however, perhaps the key thing that this script does to really help the film distinguish itself is how it presents the struggle faced by our main character. By that I mean, unlike most characters in a film like this who would be content to just mow down their foe and take what they feel is owed to them, our character here is one who struggles throughout the movie with the choices that he makes only to find that he’s on his own when it comes to handling the ramifications of them. Indeed it’s a very novel approach to this kind of material and, despite contrivance popping up every now and again, one that really helps distinguish the film from movies of a similar ilk. We also see that this slice of cinema is also aided immensely through beautiful work done by Bojan Bazelli and the cinematography department. Indeed not only does Bazelli, complete with a truly vivid color palatte and haunting glimpses of nighttime L.A., give us a film that is visually arresting, but he also does a wonderful job of utilizing atmospheric shots contrasting light and shadow to really reinforce the tone/themes of the film whilst effectively immersing you, the viewer, into the world the film is taking place in. Lastly, I definitely feel this section would be woefully incomplete if I didn’t take some time to praise the work done by Michel Colombier and the rest of the team in terms of this film’s musical accompaniment. Indeed not only is the music here (complete with tracks that cover the genres of hip hop, reggae and R&B respectively) really well done and/or chosen, but it all also adds to the grittiness and uncompromising potency present in the rest of the film quite well too. Suffice it to say that, when you also factor in wonderful work from the other departments, it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have some issues, but overall the work done behind the camera definitely helps to make this one film that will leave you hooked from beginning to end and every minute in between.
Alongside the solid work done behind the camera, this slice of cinema is also aided immensely through the collection of top-flight performances in front of the camera as well. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with Laurence Fishburne in the lead role here and he is terrific. Indeed, as Russell Stevens/John Hull, Fishburne excels at giving us someone who, out of a somewhat broken sense of justice, wants to make the world a better place and thinks this assignment he’s recruited for might be the best chance for him to do so. As the film goes on however, we see that Fishburne is just as successful in terms of really showcasing for us Stevens’ internal conflict at not only what he’s being asked to do, but also who he is afraid that he is becoming the longer his assignment goes on through both his actions on screen as well as effectively haunting voice-over narration. Suffice it to say it’s a truly riveting performance from an actor who has most assuredly given us quite a few of those during his nothing short of iconic career. Equally as impressive as Fishburne however would have to be the performance given here by the always delightful Jeff Goldblum as Stevens’ quasi-sorta partner in crime David Jason. Indeed this is a very tricky character to play since at first he seems like someone we should feel bad due to, for all intents and purposes, seeming like a decent guy who’s just caught up in a situation that he is way over his head in. As the film goes on however, we see that this persona falls by the wayside to reveal someone who is just as merciless, cold, calculating, ruthless, and sadistic as the other people that Stevens is trying to bring to justice. Suffice it to say it’s a very potent performance and one that Goldblum, who I have long felt is one of the more underrated performers working in Hollywood for the past 4-plus decades, delivers masterfully. Alongside the brilliant performances given by both Fishburne and Goldblum, this slice of cinema also gives us a wonderfully sleazy turn from Charles Martin Smith in the co-starring yet pivotal role of Stevens’ superior at the DEA Gerry Carver. Indeed Smith does a marvelous, and fairly against-type, job here at giving us a pragmatic individual who is equally as unwilling to get his own hands dirty when it comes to the war on drugs as he is willing to politely yet firmly use someone else to do it for him regardless of the risks to their safety/wellbeing. Lastly, we are also treated to a marvelous performance from Gregory Sierra in the role of underboss Felix Barbossa. Indeed Sierra does a terrific job here at playing someone so despicable, underhanded, ruthless, and prone to violent outbursts that you literally are torn between seeing him go to jail for his crimes or seeing someone just give him a taste of good old-fashioned “street justice” up until the thrilling moment the film decides to show you which choice it will be. Suffice it to say that when you also factor into the mix hard-hitting efforts from such talents as the iconic Clarence Williams III who is heartbreakingly good here as LAPD Officer Taft, Arthur Mendoza, Roger Guenveur Smith (Agent Schreck from the first Final Destination), Kamala Lopez, iconic character actor Sydney Lassick, and a brief yet haunting turn from Glynn Turman among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have issues, but by and large the potent work done by this cast is most assuredly not one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day is Deep Cover “92” a perfect and flawless slice of cinema in every way possible? Sadly no though most assuredly not for lack of effort by any stretch on the part of either cast or crew respectively. With that in mind however, is this the worst entry in either the respective filmographies of the talent involved in bringing it to life or in the genre of movie magic of which it is a part? Happily, I can confirm that this is also not the case dear reader. Yes, there are a few contrivance-stylized potholes along its particular narrative path and yes some of the characters in this aren’t given a whole lot of narrative substance to work with as they perhaps deserved. With that being said however, there is also no denying that I really do dig the heck out of this movie dear reader. Indeed the work done at the helm by iconic character actor Bill Duke is nothing short of incredible, the cinematography is hauntingly alluring, the soundtrack is wonderfully on-point, the narrative is tense and thought-provoking in equal measure, and the performances given by the impeccably chosen cast of talent in front of the camera (with particular regard to the ones given by Fishburne, Goldblum, Smith, Sierra, and Williams III) are all extremely well-done with everyone making the most of however much or little screentime they are given in the grand scheme of things. Suffice it to say then that if you are looking for your run of the mill, run and gun-type crime thriller where an undercover cop is assigned to infiltrate a gang of criminals only to find life on “the other side” appealing to the point that they start to lose their focus on not only what’s right and wrong, but also on what it is they are fighting for then go check out the first Fast and Furious movie from 2001 respectively. On the other hand, if you are looking for a solid and vastly underrated entry in that same genre that manages to have an actual thought-provoking message to go along with how incredibly riveting and entertaining it is then definitely go out of your way to seek this film out. Sure, it might be initially hard to believe that a slice of cinema like this exists, but as one of the stars in the cast of characters once said it best: “Life…finds a way”. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Deep Cover “92” a solid 4 out of 5.
