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Once in the Life - Signature Series
Lionsgate Home Entertainment // R // September 9, 2003
List Price: $14.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE MOVIE
There are so many films being made today about drugs and inter-city violence, that such movies have pretty much established their own genre. But Once in the Life is something special, thanks mainly to a strong cast, led by Laurence Fishburne, who also wrote and directed (the movie is based on his play, "Riff Raff").
Fishburne plays "20/20 Mike", a guy who got the nickname because he can sense when danger is near. Mike's been in and out of trouble most of his life (including a stint in jail), and one day trouble meets up with him again, as he gets detained at a police station and comes face to face with his half-brother, Torch (Titus Welliver). Mike and Torch decide to team up to see if they can swindle some drugs off of some younger dealers, but everything doesn't go according to plan, and Torch has to kill them all in order to escape. Knowing that both the cops and the local drug kingpin (Paul Calderon) will be after them, Mike attempts to enlist the aid of his old cellmate in prison, Tony The Tiger (Eamonn Walker), and notifies him that he and Torch will be holed-up at an abandon building. But what Mike doesn't know is that Tony is in with the dealers and kingpin and that it was Tony's drugs that Mike has stolen. Tony has been ordered to kill Mike and his brother, but will he be able to murder the man who was like a brother to him in prison?
While the storyline is fairly simple and somewhat familiar, the acting in Once in the Life really elevates the movie. There's a lot of dialogue and not a whole lot of action in the film, yet it is always engrossing and watchable – thanks largely to the performances by Fishburne, Walker and Welliver.
THE DVD
Video:
There's a bit of dirt on the print at various points in the film, but for the most part this is a solid transfer by Lion's Gate. The film is presented in 16x9 anamorphic widescreen and the ratio is 1.85:1. The colors and flesh tones seem to be properly balanced, and while this is far from an outstanding transfer, other than the dirt from the source material, I found little to complain about.
Audio:
The audio is presented in 5.1 Dolby, and sounds quite good, although it's not nearly as aggressive as other 5.1 tracks I have heard. Viewers may also be interested to know that there is a Isolated Soundtrack option that will allow you to hear just the musical soundtrack for the movie, with the dialogue muted.
Extras:
In addition to the Isolated Soundtrack noted above, the DVD also contains a Director's Commentary track with Laurence Fishburne, which is quite entertaining and informative. You also get the Theatrical Trailer for the film, but nothing else in the way of extras. In fact, I'm not sure that this version of the film – which is the "Signature Series" – is much different from the original version of the movie on DVD, since specs for that title list both the commentary and a widescreen presentation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
I've never been a big fan of the "gangland" types of dramas, but this one kept my interest and proved to be enjoyable. It also contains one of the better commentary tracks you'll find on a DVD – so if you're a fan of Fishburne, this one is worth adding to your collection.
There are so many films being made today about drugs and inter-city violence, that such movies have pretty much established their own genre. But Once in the Life is something special, thanks mainly to a strong cast, led by Laurence Fishburne, who also wrote and directed (the movie is based on his play, "Riff Raff").
Fishburne plays "20/20 Mike", a guy who got the nickname because he can sense when danger is near. Mike's been in and out of trouble most of his life (including a stint in jail), and one day trouble meets up with him again, as he gets detained at a police station and comes face to face with his half-brother, Torch (Titus Welliver). Mike and Torch decide to team up to see if they can swindle some drugs off of some younger dealers, but everything doesn't go according to plan, and Torch has to kill them all in order to escape. Knowing that both the cops and the local drug kingpin (Paul Calderon) will be after them, Mike attempts to enlist the aid of his old cellmate in prison, Tony The Tiger (Eamonn Walker), and notifies him that he and Torch will be holed-up at an abandon building. But what Mike doesn't know is that Tony is in with the dealers and kingpin and that it was Tony's drugs that Mike has stolen. Tony has been ordered to kill Mike and his brother, but will he be able to murder the man who was like a brother to him in prison?
While the storyline is fairly simple and somewhat familiar, the acting in Once in the Life really elevates the movie. There's a lot of dialogue and not a whole lot of action in the film, yet it is always engrossing and watchable – thanks largely to the performances by Fishburne, Walker and Welliver.
THE DVD
Video:
There's a bit of dirt on the print at various points in the film, but for the most part this is a solid transfer by Lion's Gate. The film is presented in 16x9 anamorphic widescreen and the ratio is 1.85:1. The colors and flesh tones seem to be properly balanced, and while this is far from an outstanding transfer, other than the dirt from the source material, I found little to complain about.
Audio:
The audio is presented in 5.1 Dolby, and sounds quite good, although it's not nearly as aggressive as other 5.1 tracks I have heard. Viewers may also be interested to know that there is a Isolated Soundtrack option that will allow you to hear just the musical soundtrack for the movie, with the dialogue muted.
Extras:
In addition to the Isolated Soundtrack noted above, the DVD also contains a Director's Commentary track with Laurence Fishburne, which is quite entertaining and informative. You also get the Theatrical Trailer for the film, but nothing else in the way of extras. In fact, I'm not sure that this version of the film – which is the "Signature Series" – is much different from the original version of the movie on DVD, since specs for that title list both the commentary and a widescreen presentation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
I've never been a big fan of the "gangland" types of dramas, but this one kept my interest and proved to be enjoyable. It also contains one of the better commentary tracks you'll find on a DVD – so if you're a fan of Fishburne, this one is worth adding to your collection.
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