Once In The Life (2000)

28% of critics liked it
(25 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(1,160 ratings)

Actor Laurence Fishburne makes his debut as a director in this urban drama adapted from his one-act stage play Riff Raff. 20/20 Mike (Fishburne) and his half-brother Torch (Titus Welliver) bump into each other under less than ideal circumstances -- both are in jail, Mike on parole violation and… More Actor Laurence Fishburne makes his debut as a director in this urban drama adapted from his one-act stage play Riff Raff. 20/20 Mike (Fishburne) and his half-brother Torch (Titus Welliver) bump into each other under less than ideal circumstances -- both are in jail, Mike on parole violation and Torch for theft. Torch is a heroin addict who has trouble financing his habit, so when Mike says he has a plan to make some quick money, Torch is more than eager to help. Mike and Torch try to swindle Hector (Andres "Dres" Titus), who works with his uncle Freddie Nine Lives (Dominic Chianese Jr.) as a bagman for drug kingpin Manny Rivera (Paul Calderon). While Mike and Torch are able to grab a large cache of heroin that Hector is carrying for Manny, the plan soon goes haywire and Hector and his men suffer heavy casualties. Mike and Torch go on the lam, while Manny's henchmen find Freddie and beat a confession out of him -- in which he names Mike and Torch as the thieves. Manny wants his money back and hires an enforcer named Tony (Eamonn Walker) to find Mike and Torch and get the cash. To insure that Tony doesn't waste time, Manny holds Tony's wife (Annabella Sciorra) captive until the money is returned. Noted jazz artist Branford Marsalis composed the film's original music score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Laurence Fishburne
Written By: Laurence Fishburne
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Feb 1, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Nov 6, 2001
Studio: Trimark

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Billy's meltdown provides a real-time reality check, but for most of the time we're waiting for the payoff, and when it comes, I'm afraid, it's not very satisfying.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Fishburne is able to create such an effective balance between humor and anxiety that the movie survives its familiarities of character and language.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
Without a coherent story to hold our attention, the mood of somber, lower-depths desperation soon becomes monotonous.
Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz
While this cautionary tale of brotherhood gone wrong doesn't exactly break new ground, it certainly shows off its writer-director-star's triple-threat filmmaking potency.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Serves only to demonstrate that Fishburne, a talented, inventive actor, is, unfortunately, not ready to write and direct motion pictures.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
Talky in the best sense.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
It reeks of staged theater: three men in one room talking endlessly.
Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The pingpong repetition of dialogue is more precious than poetic and heavy silences and actorly asides draw out a slim story that packs few dramatic surprises.
, E! Online
Despite some pacing missteps, this well-acted and colorfully photographed film is a gripping, gritty look at a hard-knock Life.