Search - Once in the Life on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Profanity, Drug Content Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 03/27/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 47 mins Studio: Lions Gate Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Crime, Crime Drama, Urban Drama See Also: Once in the Life [Widescreen]

Actor Laurence Fishburne makes his debut as a director in this urban drama adapted from his one-act stage play Riff Raff. 20/20 Mike (Fishburne) and his half-brother Torch (Titus Welliver) bump into each other under less than ideal circumstances -- both are in jail, Mike on parole violation and Torch for theft. Torch is a heroin addict who has trouble financing his habit, so when Mike says he has a plan to make some quick money, Torch is more than eager to help. Mike and Torch try to swindle Hector (Andres "Dres" Titus), who works with his uncle Freddie Nine Lives (Dominic Chianese Jr.) as a bagman for drug kingpin Manny Rivera (Paul Calderon). While Mike and Torch are able to grab a large cache of heroin that Hector is carrying for Manny, the plan soon goes haywire and Hector and his men suffer heavy casualties. Mike and Torch go on the lam, while Manny's henchmen find Freddie and beat a confession out of him -- in which he names Mike and Torch as the thieves. Manny wants his money back and hires an enforcer named Tony (Eamonn Walker) to find Mike and Torch and get the cash. To insure that Tony doesn't waste time, Manny holds Tony's wife (Annabella Sciorra) captive until the money is returned. Noted jazz artist Branford Marsalis composed the film's original music score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Laurence Fishburne - 20/20 Mike
Titus Welliver - Torch
Eamonn Walker - Tony
Dominic Chianese - Freddie Nine Lives
Paul Calderon - Manny Rivera

Actor Laurence Fishburne makes his debut as a director in this urban drama adapted from his one-act stage play Riff Raff. 20/20 Mike (Fishburne) and his half-brother Torch (Titus Welliver) bump into each other under less than ideal circumstances -- both are in jail, Mike on parole violation and Torch for theft. Torch is a heroin addict who has trouble financing his habit, so when Mike says he has a plan to make some quick money, Torch is more than eager to help. Mike and Torch try to swindle Hector (Andres "Dres" Titus), who works with his uncle Freddie Nine Lives (Dominic Chianese Jr.) as a bagman for drug kingpin Manny Rivera (Paul Calderon). While Mike and Torch are able to grab a large cache of money that Hector is carrying for Manny, the plan soon goes haywire and Hector and his men suffer heavy casualties. Mike and Torch go on the lam, while Manny's henchmen find Freddie and beat a confession out of him -- in which he names Mike and Torch as the thieves. Manny wants his money back and hires an enforcer named Tony (Eamonn Walker) to find Mike and Torch and get the cash. To insure that Tony doesn't waste time, Manny holds Tony's wife (Annabella Sciorra) captive until the money is returned. Noted jazz artist Branford Marsalis composed the film's original music score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide