Rapper Ice-T has to be the hardest working man in showbizness. In 1998 alone, his filmography notes 12 films (including the recently reviewed Stealth Fighter). He also did a movie that was later carved up into THREE flicks, because the money people figured they'd be able to squeeze a bit more cash out of it that way. But, hey, trilogies are all the rage in Hollywood. Actually, they were shot in Eastern Europe. The films are Urban Menace, Corrupt and The Wrecking Crew (1999, 80 minutes). Each were shot with basically the same cast (in different roles), on the same location, with roughly SIX DAYS spent on each film. Guerrilla filmmaking is said to be director Albert Pyun's strong suit (Cyborg, Nemesis 2-4). Fast. Cheap. With a hint of production value. But clearly for all involved in this gangsta-rap exploitation fiasco -- it was all about the Benjamins.

The movie: Instead of sticking it to whitey as he did in Surviving the Game, Ice is a bloodthirsty bounty hunter hired by the government to "handle" warring gangs. Oh, Snoop Dogg is prominently featured on the video sleave, but he really isn't IN the movie. There's this music video portion to start things off, and he plays a rapper/gangsta called DRA-MAN. Anyway, back to the plot. This shouldn't take long. There are three gangs. Two of the gangs form an alliance to wipe out the third, but Ice and his boys monkey up their plans. Of the 80 minute running time, about 15 minutes are frittered away in title sequences. The remaining time is skillfully used to see how many F-Bombs can be dropped, and corpses stacked, in an hour. There's somewhat of a moralistic ending, which is something like, "Gang violence is bad." It rings very hollow. Oh well, look for Miss Jones as the TV reporter. Not to be confused with champion sprinter Marion Jones from those preachy Nike commercials.

Notables: No breasts. 96 corpses. Gratuitous slow-mo bullets. Gang-sign throwing. Shotgun brandishing. Two Pop-Tarts, extra crispy. Throat slitting. Lead pipe beating. Cell phone abuse. Neck snapping. Warehouse inferno.

Quotables: The gang leader who shoots a back-talker, "My bad! I've always had a problem with rebel mother f@#$ers. I'm gonna have to work on that." The Judas who sells his hommies out, "Show me the money." And probably the funniest riff, "What are you saying? The cops got some sort of death squad that goes around whacking mother f@#$ers? That s@#$'s against the law, man. If you can't trust the police. Who can you trust?"

Time codes: The international diss (21:45). Gang member with painted-on beard goes bug eyed (35:55). Two-man fist fight with kung fu (42:40).

Audio/Video: Without a doubt the WORST Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track EVER mastered. The dialogue sounds as though it was recorded in an echo chamber. However, the music and fireworks rumbles nicely. Solution: Switch to the 2.0 track. There's also an isolated music track. The video quality is generally awful also, but is presented in its original widescreen ratio (1.78:1).

Extras: Almost too numerous to catalog. Director Albert Pyun's commentary track deals mostly with the production process. He talks in detail about the decision to split the movie up, and how the film was shot so quickly. Actors David Askew and Ernie Hudson Jr. see the film together for the first time for their commentary track. The soft-spoken pair (who played rival gang leaders) don't seem entirely comfortable with the film's violence, or language. Kickin' animated menus. 14 images in gallery. Roughly three minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. Trailers for Urban Menace, Corrupt, Letters From a Killer, New Rose Hotel, Free Man, The Confession, A Murder of Crows, Space Trucks, Progeny and Legionnaire. The usual cast bios. Trivia game (with video). Look closer to find hidden features. Finally, want to delve into the subtext mixed among the gunplay? Check out the script via DVD-ROM.

Final thought: Not enough gang violence in YOUR neighborhood? This is for you. Rent it.

G. Noel Gross is a Dallas graphic designer and avowed Drive-In Mutant who specializes in scribbling B-movie reviews. Noel is inspired by Joe Bob Briggs and his gospel of blood, breasts and beasts.