SuperFly
3/4
Starring: Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Lex Scott Davis, Andrea Londo, Esai Morales, Kaalan 'KR' Walker, Big Bank Black, Michael Kenneth Williams, Jennifer Morrison, Brian Durkin
Rated R for Violence and Language Throughout, Strong Sexuality, Nudity, and Drug Content
Ambition can be deadly.
You'd think that a drug dealer who is smart enough to stay out of jail (and stay alive) would know that. And Priest (Jackson) is smart, bordering on brilliant. He worked his way up from being a delivery boy to a kingpin with a net worth of more than $30 million. All while having a sparkling clean record. That's because he knows that greed, ambition and ego can get you killed. But when a drunken misunderstanding leads to a member of Snow Patrol, a rival gang, to try and kill Priest, he decides that he wants to make one big score and get out. To do this, he and his girlfriends Georgia (Davis) and Cynthia (Londo) are going to have to be smart, think quick, and outmaneuver everyone in order to get out alive.
Opening a movie next to a projected juggernaut like "The Incredibles 2" is a risky move, since it clearly has to be positioned as counter-programming and strike with its target audience. But "SuperFly" had next to no marketing. Bad sign. I walked in completely unaware of what this movie was. I was expecting a trainwreck. Perhaps even hoping for one, since I need more entries on my Bottom 10 list. It took a while, but this movie won me over. I liked how it was smart yet unpredictable. Priest has a plan, but things often don't turn out the way he anticipates. But he's clever and uses these unexpected developments to his advantage.
Part of the reason the film takes so long to engage the viewer is that the lead character is so flatly acted. Trevor Jackson opts for a low-key portrayal, perhaps to emphasize Priest's intelligence. But this has the result of Priest being uncharismatic, and frankly, kind of dull. Much more interesting are Lex Scott Davis and Andrea Londo as his (polyamorous?) girlfriends, Esai Morales as an intense and unpredictable drug dealer and Brian Durkin as a corrupt cop. A special shout out has to go to Jennifer Morrison, who is unrecognizable as Durkin's vicious partner. She's like a psychotic version of Kathryn Erbe or Mary Stuart Masterson.
What this movie lacks is a flair for grand gestures. Director X (his credited name) is able to tell this complicated story with little confusion and lots of surprises, and he has a gift for action scenes. But he plays it too close to planet Earth, so to speak. A movie with such a twisted and violent story begs for a director with the courage to give them their due. Think of what could be done with this story had Martin Scorcese been at the helm. A gangster epic with epic highs and tragic lows.
At least it's better than "Belly," which is really all that needs to be said.
Starring: Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Lex Scott Davis, Andrea Londo, Esai Morales, Kaalan 'KR' Walker, Big Bank Black, Michael Kenneth Williams, Jennifer Morrison, Brian Durkin
Rated R for Violence and Language Throughout, Strong Sexuality, Nudity, and Drug Content
Ambition can be deadly.
You'd think that a drug dealer who is smart enough to stay out of jail (and stay alive) would know that. And Priest (Jackson) is smart, bordering on brilliant. He worked his way up from being a delivery boy to a kingpin with a net worth of more than $30 million. All while having a sparkling clean record. That's because he knows that greed, ambition and ego can get you killed. But when a drunken misunderstanding leads to a member of Snow Patrol, a rival gang, to try and kill Priest, he decides that he wants to make one big score and get out. To do this, he and his girlfriends Georgia (Davis) and Cynthia (Londo) are going to have to be smart, think quick, and outmaneuver everyone in order to get out alive.
Opening a movie next to a projected juggernaut like "The Incredibles 2" is a risky move, since it clearly has to be positioned as counter-programming and strike with its target audience. But "SuperFly" had next to no marketing. Bad sign. I walked in completely unaware of what this movie was. I was expecting a trainwreck. Perhaps even hoping for one, since I need more entries on my Bottom 10 list. It took a while, but this movie won me over. I liked how it was smart yet unpredictable. Priest has a plan, but things often don't turn out the way he anticipates. But he's clever and uses these unexpected developments to his advantage.
Part of the reason the film takes so long to engage the viewer is that the lead character is so flatly acted. Trevor Jackson opts for a low-key portrayal, perhaps to emphasize Priest's intelligence. But this has the result of Priest being uncharismatic, and frankly, kind of dull. Much more interesting are Lex Scott Davis and Andrea Londo as his (polyamorous?) girlfriends, Esai Morales as an intense and unpredictable drug dealer and Brian Durkin as a corrupt cop. A special shout out has to go to Jennifer Morrison, who is unrecognizable as Durkin's vicious partner. She's like a psychotic version of Kathryn Erbe or Mary Stuart Masterson.
What this movie lacks is a flair for grand gestures. Director X (his credited name) is able to tell this complicated story with little confusion and lots of surprises, and he has a gift for action scenes. But he plays it too close to planet Earth, so to speak. A movie with such a twisted and violent story begs for a director with the courage to give them their due. Think of what could be done with this story had Martin Scorcese been at the helm. A gangster epic with epic highs and tragic lows.
At least it's better than "Belly," which is really all that needs to be said.
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