Once In The Life

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Plot: Laurence Fishburne established himself as one of the most compelling actors making films today with simmering performances that command the screen. With Once in the Life, a tale of small-time c...( read more read more... )rooks on the run from a heist gone wrong, he adds screenwriter and director to his resumé. Adapted by the director from his stage play Riff Raff, he makes himself a triple threat as he also stars as 20/20 Mike, a small-time street hustler who cooks up a drug rip-off with his estranged half-brother Torch (Titus Welliver, reprising his stage role). When simple robbery turns into a fatal bloodbath they hide out in a claustrophobic rat hole and wait for Mike's buddy Tony the Tiger (the intense Eamonn Walker of HBO's cable series Oz). Tony is "out of the life," or so he says. Mike is too trusting to remember the truism that gives the film its title: "Once in the life, always in the life."

The heart of the film remains with these three in the dark, dingy hideout. We've seen this portrait of family, friends, and honor torn asunder by the criminal life before, and the overly talky picture never shakes its insular theatrical origins, but Fishburne pulls out some beautiful performances, especially his own mercurial turn as Mike. He delivers a fierce and exhilarating performance, and Walker burns as his trusted former cellmate, his glowing eyes and glowering expression giving his tortured struggle a tragic dimension. --Sean Axmaker

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  • allalonestone
    allalonestone
    4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 15, 2007
    poetry; you've got to think that the actors in this one gave up their fee or put the film together themselves; gregory hines, etc. an eyeopener of a film that destroys black and drug sterotypes and comments on the dead end of certain lifestyles
  • angelblossom26
    angelblossom26
    5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    January 16, 2007
    I had a small part in this film as the desk clerk at the apartment building. Had alot of great conversation with Lawrence. Great direction. Made me feel comfortable. Thanks Lawrence!

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  • Rated: (R)
  • Directed by: Laurence Fishburne
  • Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama
  • Released: February 1, 2001
  • DVD Released: November 6, 2001

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