Gang Related . Austin Chronicle . 08-24-98

Gang Related

DIRECTED BY: Jim Kouf

REVIEWED: 08-24-98

Everything about Gang Related, from its genre to its director to its stars to even its title, would normally make this movie the last choice in my video runs. On a lark, however, I decided to check the film out, and therein discovered one of those rare gems, the kind you dream about when you end up stuck with the latest Steven Seagal vehicle. Well, maybe it's not that great, but Gang Related certainly merits attention as a good rental choice. For starters, this film turned out to be rapper-cum-actor Tupac Shakur's last movie before his untimely demise, and it's undoubtedly his best work. Starring as the partner of James Belushi (who manages to not kill this picture with his usual overacting), he and Shakur are a pair of corrupt homicide detectives who sell impounded drugs to dealers and then kill them, pocketing the money each time. The corrupt cops then investigate the crimes, ultimately blaming the murders on gang activity. When an undercover cop becomes the latest victim of the duo, though, they pin his death on a homeless man (Quaid, almost unrecognizable in a 12-inch beard), who twists the plot around again. An ultimately engrossing and challenging picture, Gang Related rises above its competition, which still largely consists of Pulp Fiction rip-offs. Maybe the biggest surprise of all is that the film was written and directed by Jim Kouf, whose writing credits include both Stakeout movies and 1995's Operation Dumbo Drop. Diamond in the rough, indeed.

--Christopher Null

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