Deep Cover (1992)
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85% of critics liked it
(20 reviews) -
70% of users liked it
(7,853 ratings)
Laurence Fishburne plays no-nonsense LAPD narc Russell Stevens, Jr., who has worked all his life to expunge the memory of his dope-addict father, whom he saw die in a liquor-store robbery. DEA agent Jerry Carver (Charles Martin Smith) orders Stevens to work as an undercover operative on a major… More Laurence Fishburne plays no-nonsense LAPD narc Russell Stevens, Jr., who has worked all his life to expunge the memory of his dope-addict father, whom he saw die in a liquor-store robbery. DEA agent Jerry Carver (Charles Martin Smith) orders Stevens to work as an undercover operative on a major case. The cop is to pose as a dealer in order to get the goods on South American drug lord. Stevens is so convincing as a dealer, that he fast works his way up through the ranks and gains the trust of lawyer and narcotics dealer David Jason (Jeff Goldblum) and his sinister associates, all lackeys to the kingpin who is the target of Stevens' assignment. Through a series of fantastic but credible circumstances, Stevens eliminates the lower echelon, getting closer to his quarry, but in the process he finds himself so deep into the sinister and seductive world of the drug trade that he may never get out. In a surprise move, and just when he is about to bring the ringleader down, the DEA pulls the plug on his assignment, because the top dealer, an influential Latin American politician, may someday be useful to the State Department. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- R, 1 hr. 47 min.
- Directed By
- Bill Duke
- Written By
- Michael Tolkin, Henry Bean
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Apr 15, 1992 Wide
- On DVD
- Sep 14, 1999
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Convoluted and mostly unconvincing as a portrait of the drug underworld, Deep Cover [based on a story by Michael Tolkin] still carries some resonance due to its vivid portrait of societal decay and a heavyweight performance by Larry Fishburne.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
What emerges is a powerhouse thriller full of surprises, original touches, and rare political lucidity, including an impressive performance by Jeff Goldblum.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Deep Cover eventually degenerates into so much gratuitous violence that 'kill' sounds like the most-used verb in the screenplay's last stages.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Rather than ride the easy cynicism of the script, by Michael Tolkin and Henry Bean, Fishburne illuminates his character's moral struggle.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
What sets Deep Cover apart is its sense of good and evil, the way it has the Fishburne character agonize over the moral decisions he has to make.
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Featured Audience Ratings
Cast
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Laurence Fishburneas Russell Stevens Jr./John Hull -
Jeff Goldblumas David Jason -
Victoria Dillardas Betty McCutcheon
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Charles Martin Smithas Jerry Carver -
Gregory Sierraas Felix Barbosa -
Clarence Williams IIIas Ken Taft
