CAUGHT UP
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: ** OUT OF ****
United States, 1998 U.S. Release Date: 2/27/98 (wide) Running Length: 1:42 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, violence, nudity, sex) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Bokeem Woodbine, Cynda Williams, Joseph Lindsey, Basil Wallace,
Tony Todd, Jeffrey Combs
Director: Darin Scott
Producer: Peter Heller
Screenplay: Darin Scott
Cinematography: Tom Callaway
Music: Marc Bonilla
U.S. Distributor: Live Entertainment
At least CAUGHT UP has a sense of humor. That quality alone allows it to transcend the invisible barrier that separates nearly-unwatchable films from their forgettable, mediocre counterparts. This is the kind of motion picture that's neither bad enough nor good enough to be memorable; six weeks from now, I'll probably have to refer back to this review to recall what it was all about.
CAUGHT UP starts with a fairly routine premise. Darryl Allen (Bokeem Woodbine) gets out of prison after serving five years for participating in a bank robbery. This is his second time in jail; he served an earlier term for possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. After spending most of his adult life behind bars, Darryl is interested in going straight and leading a good life, but forces on the streets are determined to steer him in the wrong direction. For Darryl, the straight-and-narrow may be an impossible path to traverse.
Writer/director Darin Scott does two things to make CAUGHT UP different from countless other African American-oriented films cut from the same cloth. The first, which is a good idea, is to pepper the screenplay with instances of campy humor and satire. The second, which is not a good idea, is to employ a series of preposterous plot twists that no one in their right mind will buy. For example, Vanessa (Cynda Williams), the film's resident femme fatale, just happens to look exactly like Darryl's old girlfriend. The ending also gives new meaning to the motion picture concept of the conservation of characters. (That's the rule which states that every individual, no matter how brief their initial appearance, will have some crucial role to play later in the proceedings.)
Through it all, Scott continuously pokes fun at both the genre in general and this story in particular. The voiceover narrative is used as much for comic effect as for advancing the plot (although, I hasten to add, THE BIG LEBOWSKI did this much better). One individual launches into a diatribe about the economic repercussions of legalizing drugs. The sole purpose of one inept character, a supercilious white guy (Joseph Lindsey), is comic relief (although he's more annoying than funny). Yet, for all of the sporadic humor, CAUGHT UP is ultimately intended to be taken seriously, and that's its downfall. Made as a straight parody, a la I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA, this could have been a riot.
The level of acting is substandard. Woodbine, who has done decent work in past supporting roles (JASON'S LYRIC, for one), is out of his depth as the main character. He doesn't have the charisma, presence, or range to present Darryl as anything more than a cardboard figure. Plus, he mumbles much of his cliché-riddled dialogue. His co-star, Cynda Williams, isn't much better. Sure, she's sexy and looks great with and without her clothes on, but that's about all she has going for her.
In many ways, I was reminded of PALMETTO, although CAUGHT UP is certainly more graphic and lurid (this film contains a lot of sex, nudity, and bloodshed). Both films have hard-to-swallow narratives that care less about credibility than about whether they can surprise viewers with an out-of-left-field plot twist. Additionally, the leads in the two movies are rivals for the dubious title of Mystery/Thriller Protagonist with the Lowest I.Q. And, as stupid as I thought Woody Harrelson's character was in PALMETTO, I would have to award the prize to Darryl Allen, who frequently acts as if he has been lobotomized. Sadly, that's a term that also applies to sections of the wildly uneven script. When it comes to thrillers, CAUGHT UP still has a long way to go.
Copyright 1998 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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