IN TOO DEEP (1999)
Grade: C+
Director: Michael Rymer
Screenplay: Michael Henry Brown, Paul Aaron
Starring: Omar Epps, LL. Cool J, Stanley Tucci, Nia Long, Hill Harper, Pam Grier, Nas, Sticky Fingaz, Jermain Dupri
If IN TOO DEEP were made in the 70's it would have been as a campy blaxploitation romp possibly starring Ron O' Neal and Richard Roundtree. Instead in the late nineties the camp is absent and it stars up-and comer Omar Epps, rapper\actor LL. Cool J, and blaxploitation icon Pam Grier in a rather thankless role. IN TOO DEEP may still be blaxploitation (yes it does comment on ghetto violence, but what modern blaxploitation film doesn't), but it sure isn't aware of it. Instead it tries to be a somber undercover cop\gangland thriller like NEW JACK CITY or DEEP COVER (the best of that genre). The flick is moderately successful, offering up some tense moments, but they're all variations on stuff we've seen before in DONNIE BRASCO, NEW JACK CITY, SERPICO, and dozens of others.
LL. Cool J (DEEP BLUE SEA, ANY GIVEN SUNDAY), in his first semi-leading role, plays a brutal drug-dealing villain with the presumptuous nickname of God. The problem with LL the actor is that he has a sweetness about him that cannot be faked. Even with his python-sized biceps he never manages to be as threatening as his character should be. The "actor" is cursed with warm, sagacious eyes, and an endearingly good-natured smile; he's more teddy bear then grizzly bear. When God does ghastly things like in the scene where he cuts a man's tongue out, or the part where he beats his best friend half to death, LL's heart just doesn't seem in it. He looks too damn nice. But I like him. The guy may never be a great actor but he has an innately likeable screen presence, much like Sandra Bullock (and no one ever accused her of being a great actress).
Enter the brooding Jeff Cole (Omar Epps), a rookie undercover cop eager to bring an end to the God's reign. He infiltrates the drug dealer's gang by posing as a potential drug buyer. But their relationship isn't cemented yet: In the film's most harrowing scene (also its opening) Cole settles in the back seat of a car surrounded by the gang as they cruise around aimlessly. In the midst of some tough guy banter, they catch him off guard with instructions to shoot a thief …at that very moment. The plan is to actually witness Jeff killing someone in cold blood, thus negating any doubts of the possibility that he may be an undercover cop. It's the ultimate catch-22, and director Michael Rymer (ANGEL BABY) wrings a terrific amount of suspense out of the quandary. Cole has the target in his sights as the car cautiously pulls up to the victim. He fires, bullets colliding into everything but his prey. In one great shot Rymer gives us a perspective viewpoint of directly behind the firing weapon; Cole whirls the gun to and fro obviously shooting in between his target. After all, no one can deny that he tried. It's a slam bang opening to a movie that, afterward, begins to look an awful lot like a million other undercover cop dramas.
The screenwriters seem to have based the entire film on the unwritten laws (or maybe they have been written) of the genre, with some minor exceptions. One of those being the great character actor Stanley Tucci (BIG NIGHT), who plays the white police chief in a different way than you'd expect. Rather than being an oppressive blowhard he is kind and understanding. His character is like a psychiatrist to Cole, though he really seems to care about his "patient".
What else does IN TOO DEEP bring to the table? The only thing I can think of is a brutal, jaw dropping sequence in which LL uses a pool cue to anally rape a former friend. I dare anyone to find another film (and one without three X's preceding the title) with an anal rape via pool cue.
After some near-explosive situations Jeff is ordered to take a vacation and "get his head together". He's sent off to a rural area and enrolled into some college classes, whereupon he meets a beautiful nude model (Nia Long). The scenes between Epps and Long (who plays the requisite love interest in case you haven't already figured that out) are dead spots; like an intermission that isn't needed. It's as if the writers suddenly realized at the last minute that they must have a love interest in this thing, ASAP. The romance is handled haphazardly, and gives Long, a terrific actress who always gets stuck in nothing roles, little to do but smile at Epps adoringly, and later act overly concerned. The addition of her character may have been to ratchet up the dramatic tension, but all it does is simmer it down.
Omar Epps certainly has the right looks for his part. We first meet Cole as a naïve rookie with his hair stylishly braided in condensed mini-dreadlocks that work to soften his zealous features. When Cole goes deep undercover, he shaves his head and grows thin tufts of facial hair to further harden the edges. He also procures the portentous stare of an urbane veteran. During those portions of the film the actor displays a great deal of talent in eliciting emotion by simple stares. In early "rookie" scenes Epps appears more self-conscious, not always looking others in the eye. As his character gradually climbs to seasoned vet status, Epps develops a bit of a swagger to go along with his weighty gaze. Sadly those "deep" eyes have more personality than the writers give his thinly written character.
IN TOO DEEP works best in scenes wherein the gangster's converse socially. They hide any emotion they might have, putting up false fronts and poses to give the appearance of ferociousness. They greet each other with solemn nods, as if anything more would be looked upon as a sign of weakness.
Still despite its strengths too many similar movies have triumphed where IN TOO DEEP fails. The flick pales in comparison to Bill Duke's similar DEEP COVER, and it's too preoccupied with hurtling from one restless set piece to another to be bothered with making it's characters stand out as anything more then one-dimensional. In DEEP COVER, Laurence Fishburne' s character had the same dilemmas as Jeff Cole, only in that film they were taken further into dark places that IN TOO DEEP only hints at. Fishburne was a fleshed out three-dimensional figure, while Epps never rises above his powerful stares.
Another let down is the handling of both its female characters. After a masterful performance in JACKIE BROWN, Pam Grier has been relegated to minor roles in crappy flicks like JAWBREAKER. In this film she has maybe five minutes of screen time. It's a shame because Grier is the kind of actress that seems to effortlessly exude firmness and intelligence. She's pushing 50, but remains as attractive as she was at the height of her popularity in the 70's. Then there is the aforementioned Nia Long, who isn't getting the kind of meaty roles she clearly deserves. Their characters are only memorable because of the actresses who embody them. In fact they are much more stimulating then any of the male characters. As the film concluded I couldn't help but fantasize of a late 90's blaxploitation flick starring Nia Long and Pam Grier, and maybe Omar Epps, LL Cool J, and Stanely Tucci in minor roles. It could be called DAUGHTER OF FOXY BROWN. Now that would be original.