Gang Related (1997)

56% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(8,551 ratings)

A pair of corrupt police officers discover the hard way that crime really doesn't pay in this action drama. Divinci (James Belushi) and Rodriguez (Tupac Shakur) are two New York undercover cops with serious money problems: Rodriguez owes a huge gambling debt, while Divinci wants to retire to Hawaii… More A pair of corrupt police officers discover the hard way that crime really doesn't pay in this action drama. Divinci (James Belushi) and Rodriguez (Tupac Shakur) are two New York undercover cops with serious money problems: Rodriguez owes a huge gambling debt, while Divinci wants to retire to Hawaii but lacks the cash. To stretch their paychecks, the partners pose as drug dealers, using narcotics confiscated as evidence; they sell the dope, and after receiving payment, they kill the buyers in carefully arranged drive-by shootings, always collecting the drugs afterward so that they can be sold again. The men try to morally justify their actions by claiming that they only kill people who need to be taken off the street anyway. Divinci's girlfriend, an exotic dancer named Cynthia (Lela Rochon), helps set the cops up with their latest victim, but after they've made the transaction, Divinci and Rodriguez discover the tables have been turned -- the purchaser is actually an undercover DEA agent. The DEA man winds up dead, and Divinci and Rodriguez are assigned to investigate the killing. Needing a fall guy, they try to frame a homeless man for the murder, but before long, their web of deception begins to collapse like a house of cards. Gang Related was the final film completed by rapper-turned-actor Tupac Shakur; he himself was the victim of a still-unsolved shooting in Las Vegas 13 months before the film was released. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Jim Kouf
Written By: Jim Kouf
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Oct 8, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Feb 25, 1998
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

David Noh, Film Journal International
Writer-director Jim Kouf crams the screen with enough incident, coincidence and characters to keep you watching.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
I won't pretend to know anything about Shakur's music, but his death robbed filmgoers of an actor who only began to show his talent.
Frank Ochieng, TheWorldJournal.com
An ambitious but instantly generic urban crime drama that conjures up the usual assortment of cliched' streetwise grittiness
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
Tupac was a very promising actor -- it's a shame this was the kind of film he usually wound up in.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
There are several clever twists in the story, though Kouf never quite manages to make much of it seem credible.
Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide
Jim Kouf has managed to create a low-budget cop story that not only features a sterling cast, but also manages to entertain for two hours straight.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Phil H

Believe it or not but this is actually a decent cop thriller starring Shakur and Belushi! two dirty cops trying to lie their way out of killing an undercover detective by framing a homeless man. The premise is fine yet unoriginal but its handled well, both Belushi and Shakur play… More
Believe it or not but this is actually a decent cop thriller starring Shakur and Belushi! two dirty cops trying to lie their way out of killing an undercover detective by framing a homeless man. The premise is fine yet unoriginal but its handled well, both Belushi and Shakur play their roles well and you do get immersed in the tension as they get deeper in doo doo. You know what's gonna happen to be honest but its a fun ride watching it unfold. Dennis Quaid plays the homeless man but I dunno why really, his role isn't really a big deal despite it being an important part of the story and Quaid seems to be sleep walking his way through it, I think this must have been his sparse acting period. Surprisingly good thriller, Belushi shows he can actually play it straight from time to time plus Lela Rochon is scorchingly hot :)
Lady D

Fairly dated yet pretty watchable. I think the main attraction for this film at the time was Tupac, but for me James Bellushi was the one that drove the film here.
EightThirty .

Not Bad Tupac ^_^