ActionThrillerCrime

Deep Cover

- There's a thin line between catching a criminal... and becoming one.

Black police officer Russell Stevens applies for a special anti-drug squad which targets the highest boss of cocaine delivery to LA—the Colombian foreign minister's nephew. Russell works his way up from the bottom undercover, until he reaches the boss.

Release Date : 1992-04-15

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Image OrganizationNew Line Cinema

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Russell Stevens Jr. / John Hull

Original Name : Laurence Fishburne

Gender : Male

Character Name : David Jason

Original Name : Jeff Goldblum

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betty McCutcheon

Original Name : Victoria Dillard

Gender : Female

Character Name : Felix Barbosa

Original Name : Gregory Sierra

Gender : Male

Character Name : Taft

Original Name : Clarence Williams III

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guzman

Original Name : René Assa

Gender : Male

Character Name : Molto

Original Name : Alex Colon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eddie

Original Name : Roger Guenveur Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gopher

Original Name : Sydney Lassick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Belinda Chacon

Original Name : Kamala Lopez

Gender : Female

Character Name : Hernandez

Original Name : Julio Oscar Mechoso

Gender : Male

Character Name : Russell Stevens Sr.

Original Name : Glynn Turman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ivy

Original Name : James T. Morris

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. G.

Original Name : Sandra Gould

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gerald Carver

Original Name : Charles Martin Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bijoux

Original Name : Lira Angel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Policeman

Original Name : Bruce Paul Barbour

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rapper's Musician

Original Name : Bilal Bashir

Gender : Male

Character Name : Congresswoman

Original Name : Anna Berger

Gender : Female

Character Name : Judge

Original Name : Donald Bishop

Gender : Male

Character Name : Crackhead #2

Original Name : Ed Cambridge

Gender : Male

Character Name : Shark

Original Name : Jaime Cardriche

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ivy's Driver

Original Name : Alisa Christensen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Russell Stevens Jr.

Original Name : Cory Curtis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guzman's Guard

Original Name : James Encinas

Gender : Male

Character Name : James

Original Name : Joseph Ferro

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bartender

Original Name : Def Jef

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lunatic Santa

Original Name : Harry Frazier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dealer

Original Name : Neil Goldberg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hull's Lawyer

Original Name : Revalyn T. Golde

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nancy

Original Name : Yvette Heyden

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dealer

Original Name : Erik Kilpatrick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Republican Congressman

Original Name : Nick LaTour

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miranda

Original Name : Shannon Macpherson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Congressman

Original Name : Ric Mancini

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Winston

Original Name : Lionel Matthews

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gallegos

Original Name : Arthur Mendoza

Gender : Male

Character Name : Crackhead #1

Original Name : John Messall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jacquiline

Original Name : Paunita Nichols

Gender : Female

Character Name : Guzman's Lawyer

Original Name : Tony Perez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Leland

Original Name : Clifton Powell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dealer

Original Name : Roberto Santana

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rapper

Original Name : Jonathan Scott

Gender : Male

Character Name : 13 Year Old

Original Name : Vicellous Shannon

Gender : Male

Character Name : 1st Reporter

Original Name : Eleva Singleton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bailiff

Original Name : Lisa Thayer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Store Owner

Original Name : Ron Thompson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dealer

Original Name : Tyrin Turner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chino

Original Name : David Weixelbaum

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cal Tech

Original Name : John Boyd West

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Two Masks. Deep Cover is directed by Bill Duke and written by Michael Tolkin and Henry Bean. It stars Larry Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum, Charles Martin Smith, Victoria Dillard and Gregory Sierra. Music is by Michel Colombier and cinematography by Bojan Bazelli. Traumatised as a youngster by the death of his junkie father, Russell Stevens (Fishburne) becomes a police officer. Passing an interview with DEA Agent Gerald Carver (Smith), Stevens goes undercover to bust a major drug gang that has links to high places. But the closer he gets in with the targets, the deeper he gets involved - emotionally and psychologically. A splendid slice of gritty neo-noir, Deep Cover follows a classic film noir theme of a man descending into a world he really shouldn't be part of. This is a shifty and grungy Los Angeles, awash with blood money, single parents prepared to sell their kids, where kids in their early teens mule for the dealers and get killed in the process. A place of dimly lighted bars and pool halls, of dank streets and scrap yards, and of course of violence and misery. The look and tone of the picture is as intense as the characterisations on show. Duke (A Rage in Harlem) knows some tricks to imbue psychological distortion, canted angles, step-print framing, slow angled lensing, jump cuts and sweaty close ups. Bazelli photographs with a deliberate urban feel, making red prominent and black a lurking menace. While the musical accompaniments flit in between hip-hop thunder and jazzy blues lightning. Fishburne provides a narration that works exceptionally well, harking back to classic noirs of yesteryear. As this grim tale unfolds, his distressingly down-beat tone goes hand in hand with the narrative's sharp edges. The screenplay is always smart and cutting, mixing political hog-wash and social commentary with the harsh realities of lives dominated by drugs - the users - the sellers - the cartel, and the cop going deeper underground... Great performances from the leading players seal the deal here (Goldblum is not miscast he's the perfect opposite foil for Fishburne's broody fire), and while some clichés are within the play, the production as mounted, with the narrative devices of identification destruction (hello 2 masks) and that violence begets violence, marks this out as one the neo-noir crowd should note down as a must see. 8/10