Deep Cover DVD

It's a tense urban crime drama, a slick action movie with memorable quips, a scathing indictment of the war on drugs, and a stark look at the moral ambiguities of being a black cop in America. DEEP COVER, Bill Duke's second feature, stars Laurence Fishburne as a cop working undercover to bust a drug ring. He enjoys a lavish lifestyle and eventually kills to protect his turf and to get closer to the major suppliers. Will he enforce the laws of a corrupt government or live outside the law as a drug kingpin?

Made during the black film boom that followed the success of BOYZ N THE HOOD, DEEP COVER is that rare and beautiful thing--a genuinely smart action movie. Screenwriters Michael Tolkin (THE PLAYER) and Henry Bean have written a clever but gritty, hard-hitting script, and director Bill Duke (A RAGE IN HARLEM) brings just the right tone to the material. It has an appropriately gloomy palette of glaring reds and dark blues and a dissonant, hip-hop-influenced score that enhances the sardonic mood. Laurence Fishburne narrates and stars in the challenging role of Russell Stevens Jr., an undercover cop who finds himself slipping onto the wrong side of the law. The federal agent who runs the undercover operation (Charles Martin Smith) tells Stevens to enjoy his drug-dealer lifestyle. And when the motives of the government Stevens works for come into question, the line between cop and criminal gets even more blurred. Stevens, the somber cop, has the perfect counterpoint in David Jason (Jeff Goldblum), the hilariously manic crooked lawyer. While Stevens is tormented and questions the morality of his every action, the formerly sheltered Jason is at first terrified, then enthralled by becoming a drug kingpin and a killer.

Theatrical release: 4/17/92. DEEP COVER was the last film in which actor Laurence Fishburne was billed as "Larry Fishburne." The soundtrack featured Dr. Dre's hit single "Deep Cover," which was Snoop Dogg's introduction to the rap world. One of the congressmen in the film is named Bojan Bazelli, after the director of photography. "Undercover, all your flaws become virtues."--Carver trying to persuade Stevens that he's right for the job.

Deep Cover Reviews:

"...A quiet gem....A pair of stunning performances....[Fishburne] gives a breath-takingly assured performance..." -- John Harkness, Sight and Sound

"...Nifty casting choices, especially the always-interesting Larry Fishburne..." -- Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

"...Stylish and impassioned....The movie peels away every layer of hope, revealing a red-hot core of nihilistic despair..."-- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"...This fresh material inspires the actors. Fishburne is strong and complex in a role that marks him for more leading work. Goldblum whirls through scenes with wacky dialogue..." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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