GRIDLOCK'D
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 to 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 1/29/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:31 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, violence, drug use, nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Tim Roth, Tupac Shakur, Thandie Newton, Vondie Curtis Hall, Bokeem Woodbine, Howard Hesseman Director: Vondie Curtis Hall Producers: Damian Jones, Paul Webster, and Erica Huggins Screenplay: Vondie Curtis Hall Cinematography: Bill Pope Music: Stewart Copeland U.S. Distributor: Gramercy Pictures
GRIDLOCK'd is about people caught in one of life's most absurd traffic jams, and the lengths that they'll go to in order to get moving again. It's a darkly humorous, vicious satire, and, like all the best satires, it works because so much of what transpires on screen not only could happen, but does happen -- every day in every major urban area across the country. First time writer/director Vondie Curtis Hall sees the comedy in the situation and uses it to deliver a blistering attack on the social system and its attendant bureaucracy.
Who among us hasn't had to deal with needless paperwork and frustrating run-arounds? It's a universally shared affliction, and that's why Terry Gilliam's brilliant BRAZIL resonates so forcefully with viewers. GRIDLOCK'd, which approaches the same subject from a considerably different point-of-view, strikes a similar nerve. We may not be able to identify with the specific circumstances of the main characters, but we can understand their anger and dissatisfaction with a system that seems more concerned with spilled ink than spilled blood.
Spoon (Tupac Shakur) and Stretch (Tim Roth) are a '90s odd couple. Spoon is a mature, even-tempered black man; Stretch is a childish, borderline-manic white guy. Yet, even though their personalities are 180 degrees apart, they're as close as brothers. They work together, live together, get high together, and, when they decide to free themselves from drugs, they try to kick the habit together.
The occasion for this momentous decision is an overdose by Cookie (Thandie Newton), Spoon's lover and the third member of their performance art group. While she lies in a coma at a nearby hospital, Spoon and Stretch come to grips with the precariousness of their lives. "I don't want to go out like that," laments Spoon (his words eerie in retrospect, considering the fate of the actor speaking them), "Lately, I've been feeling like my luck's running out." Getting into a detox program, however, proves to be next-to-impossible. Spoon and Stretch spend one long day racing from social service locale to locale, taking blood tests, filling out forms, waiting on lines, and being chased by both cops and drug dealers -- all in a hopeless attempt to get a little help to "kick it."
All buddy movies need solid chemistry between the leads, and GRIDLOCK'd has it. Shakur and Roth (along with Newton, during the flashback scenes) have an easy rapport that comes across as real and very believable. Both actors are good, treading the fine line between grimness and absurdity. Shakur (POETIC JUSTICE), the recently-murdered, controversial rap artist, plays against type. His Spoon is calm, rational, and low-key. Roth, who has portrayed his share of head cases before, is right at home as a druggie who will do almost anything to get his blow.
The weakest aspect of GRIDLOCK'd is a rather silly subplot involving a drug dealer (Vondie Curtis Hall) who's out to recover his stolen goods from the two protagonists. This leads to several unnecessary, routine chase sequences that don't accomplish much more than to distract us from the movie's more effective elements. Fortunately, the film makers relegate this part of GRIDLOCK'd to the background, allowing us to direct most of our attention to better things.
In his first outing behind the camera, veteran actor Curtis Hall has crafted a fine motion picture. The film addresses race relations, although not in a heavy-handed or preachy way (at one point, Spoon is forced to remind Stretch, who has adopted a number of black mannerisms, that his skin is white). In a fashion not entirely unlike that of TRAINSPOTTING, it approaches the realities of drug use. And, best of all, it mercilessly tears into the United States' so-called social services system. This particular attack culminates in a wonderful rant by Stretch against government workers.
GRIDLOCK'd is refreshing because it's different. The subject matter isn't new, but the approach and tone are. For Vondie Curtis Hall, this is the promising beginning of what will hopefully be a long and fulfilling career. For Tim Roth, it's another fine performance to add to his ever-growing resume. And for Tupac Shakur, who displays genuine talent here, it's a fitting epitaph. Hopefully, GRIDLOCK'd won't get lost in the traffic jam of low-quality, mid-winter releases that surround it.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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