Klein's detective Briggs, and partner Shepherd (Adam Rodriguez) are caught up in a convoluted, time-twisting case of gangs, drugs, betrayal and corrupt cops; common, fool-proof elements of crime drama. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson is their unwilling inside man, possibly able to provide valuable information on an apparent gang war that just might be engineered by the boys in blue. Fool-proof elements, as I say, except that Brian A. Miller's convoluted script and direction render the drama first compelling, then aggravating, while Klein provides validation of his flagging career.

Flashing back and forward in time, revealing and concealing facts with abandon, the movie sort of wallows in an ugly sodium-vapor haze - the light from seedy streetlights in seedy parts of town. However, frequent, bifurcated trips to an interrogation room - wherein Briggs and Shepherd tell their differing versions of events - instead soak in sickly, formaldehyde greens. The atmosphere is counter-productively unpleasant. And coupled with a clunky narrative structure and even clunkier acting, Caught In The Crossfire earns its straight-to-DVD status.

Crossfire loses all hope somewhere in the middle. Maybe sensing that he's losing control of the script, Miller stops the movie cold, on a bridge, for a little catch-up. As Klein and Rodriguez stand seething, 50 stiffly reads his script for 5 minutes straight, carefully outlining everything that's happened so far, everything the audience desperately wants to grasp. It's disconcerting watching Jackson struggle to throw some gangster-mean into the mix, but with pedagogy this obvious, there's no hope for him. At least he's trying. But as much as I want to like Klein as a human, his merciless gnawing on this parboiled script is more than anyone can tolerate. Just when you think Klein might bring some subtext to his character, he's off on another vein-popping tirade of pseudo-anger and grit, confusing extremely deliberate enunciation with depth. He bites into his lines as if they were Marathon Bars. (Oldsters will remember these impossible to chew braided caramel candy bars.) It's a powerfully misguided performance, providing the final nail in this noir coffin.

As crooked cop capers go, Crossfire ranks pretty low. Attempts at chronology bending and misdirection make for more difficult slogging than is merited by this fairly inconsequential crime drama. When you add in 50's clumsy halftime analysis, you get a movie that really misses the mark. What should be compelling feels like busywork, with only Klein's leaden histrionics (don't try this at home - Ed.) to provide some comic relief. I'm pretty sure that's not what they were going for.

The DVD

Video:
You'll be caught in this 16 X 9 widescreen presentation, set in a gritty 1.78:1 ratio. As mentioned before, this movie is dim and grim, seemingly lit with only sodium-vapor street lamps and aquarium-of-the-dead fluorescent bulbs. Maybe the bad lighting is there to hide a somewhat harsh, digital-looking picture, with just-OK detail levels and clarity, and shadows that tend toward posterized grey.

Sound:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio sports a good dynamic range, with deep throaty bass and sharp trebles, with an active mix that's of better quality than the picture, for sure.

Extras:
A Theatrical Trailer, plus other Lionsgate Trailers, and English and Spanish Subtitles join loving hands with ten-minutes of Outtakes (that are just as dire as the movie itself) to complete a slate of extras so scanty you'd think the DVD had been mugged.

Final Thoughts:
As crooked cop capers go, Crossfire ranks pretty low. Attempts at chronology bending and misdirection lead to more difficult slogging than is merited by this fairly inconsequential crime drama. When you add in 50 Cent's clumsy halftime analysis, you get a movie that really misses the mark. What should be compelling feels like busywork, with only Klein's leaden histrionics to provide some comic relief. I'm pretty sure that's not what they were going for. Unless you really, really need to see a cop movie right now, and there's nothing else within arm's reach, you'd do better to Skip It.

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