Seth_Rogue_One
50 Cent's movies tend to have very low ratings, but I tend to enjoy a lot of them still (for instance 'GET RICH OR DIE Trying' is IMO really good and 'SETUP (2011)' plus 'STREETS OF BLOOD (2009)' provides fairly good entertainment despite their flaws).So even though this had a 3.8/10 I thought it could still be decent.But no, this one actually deserves it.Poor writing (by 50 Cent himself) and unfocused story with too many scenes of the police (which wouldn't be a problem if 50 knew how to write for cops, which he clearly doesn't and gives them extremely redundant dialog to work with) and the acting is not very good.AnnaLynne McCord I usually like but her role is fairly pointless (basically in it just to be a girl for 50 to seduce), but then I suppose most characters in it are, none of the characters feel real and it just doesn't really quite work on any level.Danny Trejo is in it for just one scene, but that's something I've come to get used to when his name is attached to something.James Remar has a fairly big role, and he doesn't pull a bad performance but he's just not given much to work with.And Val Kilmer... I don't feel like kicking someone who's already lying down.Not much more to say about it really. I mean the end does show that their were some decent intentions with the script but it just got lost in the way of trying to make 50 look as gangsta as possible.Even 'BEFORE I SELF DESTRUCT (2009)' was better than this.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
Though I have no clue how the gun trade works on the streets, and I have no real insight in the world of this kind of crime, the movie proved somewhat interesting.The movie did, however, move forward in a somewhat slow pace. There wasn't a lot of drive to the movie, but it was bearable. And the moments that there was action, it was direct and to the point.As for the cast, well I am not a fan of musicians turning to acting, and I believe this is actually the first movie I have seen with that '50 cents' guy in it, and I wasn't impressed with his acting. However, Val Kilmer put on a really good performance in this movie. He was very well casted for his role, and he carried this movie, though he had some help by James Remar who played the lead detective.The ending part of the movie with Val Kilmer was actually quite good, not predictable and it was sort of a good way to close off the movie.The movie had a lot of really nice camera angles, and I liked the way that it showed off a lot of really good city shots, where you got to see the alleys, worn down houses and such everyday stuff from the street-life.However, now that I have watched the movie, I sit here with a somewhat empty feeling and the thought "was that really it?". There was something missing from the movie to make it grand and unique. It came off as an ordinary run of the mill semi-action movie, which was sort of a shame, because I think it could have been much more. I guess that I wasn't perhaps in the target audience for this particular type of movie. Perhaps you need to be from a certain aspect of society and life? Who knows...
travthompson
I didn't expect to enjoy this film as much as I did, I actually expected it to be terrible, but I left the theater thinking wow that was pretty good (Put that on the box). Curtis Jackson (50 cent) delivers a strong performance along side James Remar and Val Kilmer. Curtis' character, Rich, was deeper than expected showing believable wit and banter along side his entourage. Kilmer and Remar are also great, no one phones it in. The story starts out by the numbers, but then it evolves into a more complex plot that keeps you guessing. There were scenes with real tension. The ending was the only thing holding this film back from being great. The characters evolve complex arcs, but then the ending extinguishes those arcs before they feel completed. Overall this film is a good gritty cops chase robbers crime drama, you will not be disappointed. Full disclosure, I saw this film on Dec. 15th for its premier in Grand Rapids, MI where it was filmed. The atmosphere was obviously positive. Jackson introduced the film stating "remember I am a work in progress, I will be better tomorrow than I am today". It was great to see someone with such a large perceived ego to be humble, and honestly not give himself enough credit for this movie. He was great in it, and the screenplay he wrote was great.
ganguro76
I can not believe that these films are still made. Probably when there is a special kind of audience, but unfortunately, these will continue to exist. I do not know where the idea of famous people who have at least a little good in some aspect of art that will be good in the other, but it's probably a trend that if you have no movie, album, perfume, clothes that simply did not succeed in show business. Acting does not exist, the meaning does not exist, the action does not exist. From this it can only follow that the film does not exist, but unfortunately this is not the case. This movie is so bad that I believe that the only review of this film was written by someone who has worked on this film and this is a true picture of how bad this movie. If you want to beautify the day or at least not to spoil the day I advise you not to watch this movie.