Gang Related . Tucson Weekly . 10-20-97

Gang Related

DIRECTED BY: Jim Kouf

REVIEWED: 10-20-97

It's not "gang related" at all; the title is undoubtedly an attempt to capitalize on Tupac Shakur's death. The actual story follows two cops, played by Shakur and Jim Belushi, who spend their off-hours setting up phony drug deals so they can murder the dealers and make some quick money. When they unknowingly kill an undercover DEA agent, their attempts to find a suitable scapegoat lead them on a downward moral spiral that would make Harvey Keitel's Bad Lieutenant character proud. In spite of the script's excuses for them--Belushi dreams of buying a sailboat, Shakur has a bad gambling debt and a torturous guilt complex--there's really no feeling of sympathy for these guys, or caring about their fate. The filmmakers seem to know this, because they play up Belushi's despicable behavior for laughs, though that doesn't work either. Things improve slightly with the introduction of seasoned actors like Dennis Quaid, as a hapless transient accused of the crime (the exact same role he played in Suspect), and James Earl Jones, as a lawyer who calmly tears the case apart. While their presence makes the movie more watchable, it doesn't make it any less pointless. You'll spend most of the movie counting the multitudes of F-words in each scene, and marveling at how little "acting" it takes for Belushi to make a convincing asshole.

--Woodruff

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