062 - Deep Cover

Synopsis: Policeman pretending to be drug dealer becomes drug dealer pretending to be a policeman (sort of..)

Director: Bill Duke

Actors: Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, Clarence Williams III

Date: 1992

How viewed: Lovefilm rental

Rating: 4/5

David Meyer says:

It's a classic B-movie cop thriller with a twist set in the LA cocaine trade. Cynical? Oh my, yes. Swell shoot-outs, hilarious one-liners. Smart fun.

I say:

This film has everything that the previous film in my list (Mad Dog and Glory) didn't. It convinces. The street slang sounds right, the drug dealers (and their suppliers) look the part, the violence is explicit, and, unlike Robert de Niro in 'Mad Dog', Jeff Goldblum successfully plays against type, evolving into a truly scary psychopath. Fishburne is a cop persuaded to go undercover to nail the top guys in the drug supply pyramid. However he's too successful and starts to enjoy the power and the money, to the point where he resigns. However the last piece of the jigsaw he and Goldblum are planning goes wrong, but he makes amends eventually (well, sort of). As David Meyer says, it's a classic B-movie, and if you can stand the violence it's good fun, though it loses a few Brownie points for the voice over. However, recommended.