Caught Up

It's no wonder Caught Up only garnered haphazard theatrical release in 1998. Director Darin Scott, who is credited with screenplay nods for Tales from the Hood and Sprung, tosses everything--including the kitchen sink--into this noir rip-off that borrows liberally from Chinatown and Bound but lacks the intelligent gravity and grace of the former and the stylish, tongue-in-cheek fun of the latter. Starring Bokeem Woodbine as Darryl, an ex-con who wants to go straight but who keeps finding himself in unlucky circumstances, Caught Up has laughable dialogue and terrible bug-eyed over-emoting that tries to pass for acting and wastes the laconic beauty of One False Move costar Cynda Williams, who plays a femme fatale named Vanessa Dietrich (honest!). Vanessa wraps Darryl around her little finger and embroils him in a voodoo-esque drug plot that will have the viewer rolling on the floor in disbelief. Had Caught Up played its convoluted plot for laughs, it may have at least been a camp parody on the genre, but as it is, it doesn't avoid a single cinematic cliché. The DVD comes with a slew of music videos, the radio and TV spot, as well as a director's commentary track. But don't be fooled by all the goodies--they're simply a smokescreen to nudge the audience into thinking the film is important and worthy. Caught Up is a goofy mess of contradictions and implausibility. --Paula Nechak