Written by: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes (story)
Directed by: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Starring: Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodriguez, Terrence Howard
Rated: R
Plot
Set in the '60s and '70s, a Vietnam vet returns from the war to an uncertain future and no way to support his family. With the war having changed his outlook on life, he decides crime is the only way to forge ahead.
Verdict
This does a great job of setting up the characters, but it feels like a much longer story. The heist, surprisingly plays a small part in the movie. After it concludes the movie quickly tries to wrap up any loose ends, voiding the impact this could have had. This isn't a heist movie, but a story of mental anguish. That's set up, but not really paid off.
It depends.
Review
This looks at how Anthony (Larenz Tate) fits into society before and after Vietnam. It is just the mental anguish from the war, but how life has changed. He's been gone for four years and has to figure out how to relate to his family in addition to the what now question.
I assumed this would be more action oriented. I remember this movie when it came out, with the images of the black and white face paint images and scenes of a robbery. There is a heist, but it's not the focus.
The movie does take us to Vietnam for a few scenes, but all of it felt a bit off. It didn't feel authentic, at least not how I've recognized it in media. It felt like the ators were on a set and not really in the jungle.
Anthony has changed. He's a different guy and the movie did a good job of contrasting the changes. he's quick to violence, and on top of everything he can't provide for his family. He decides to steal the money, and of course that's where things go sideways. Nearly everything goes wrong and while they get some money, there's a big cost.
I enjoyed this well enough up until the heist, but after that it began rushing to tie up loose ends. I wanted to the movie to take time to show the mental toll the robbery had. How that further changed him or maybe filled him with regret. The ending doesn't really have an impact. He committed a crime to fix his life, but it didn't help. It's not a bad conclusion, but lacks some of the nuance we had seen. Serving your country doesn't excuse one to commit crimes, but there is a connection of how this soldier wasn't taken care of, his service giving him no other options.
Once we hit the heist, this sprints to the end. There should be more story before the final resolution.
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