Gridlock'd (1997)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's a film that anyone who has had to deal with jobsworth bureaucrats will find funny but true to life. It does have a serious subplot as to why so many do so little, other than pass the process back and forth. Some of the best moments are actually less to do with the headline stars, but the bored / tired / fed up minions obeying orders.

When their friend Cookie {Thandie Newton} overdoses, Spoon {Tupac Shakur} and Stretch {Tim Roth} make the decision to kick their drug habits. However in spite of their determination they find themselves constantly hampered by red tape. Shunted from building to building the boys have enough on their plates as it is, but they also have the small matter of an irate drug lord after them as well.I tuned in to watch Gridlock'd expecting a buddy buddy nonsense piece of fluff, what I actually got was a darkly funny satire on the health-care state of America and an interesting flip side to the life of the drug addicted. Never one sided in its sympathies to either side of the fence, Vondie Curtis-Hall's {writer and director} picture throws up interesting posers whilst poking us in the ribs along the way. Both Shakur and Roth are excellent, creating a rich chemistry that is as believable as it is potent. The direction is relaxed, with Hall content to just let the cameras follow these guys from one situation to another. And the dialogue is zippy and easy on the ears. Some scenes, in spite of the expected contrivances, are hilarious, with one particular stabbing scene being an absolute riot {I kid you not}. To which leaves a film just crying out to be discovered by more people.The film serves as a fitting tribute to Shakur, who was sadly murdered before this film was even released. On the evidence of this piece, the music world not only lost a supremely talented poet of the street, but cinema also lost a talented actor. R.I.P Tupac Shakur 1971-1996.

I wasn't expecting too much from this offbeat comedy, especially as it takes a little while to get going, but was surprised at how good it was. This is thanks largely to the on-screen chemistry between Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur as a couple of drug addicts who decide to kick their habit when flatmate Thandie Newton nearly dies from an accidental overdose.From such thin premises are great films sometimes crafted, the thinness of the plot meaning that the writers inevitably need to rely on characterisation to flesh things out. If they get it right they can create a classic, if they fail we can all end up watching an interminable mess. Here, Vondie Curtis-Hall does succeed in creating a couple of improbably likable anti-heroes in the form of Stretch (Roth) and Spoon (Shakur), while falling down a little in the realism of some of their decisions. It's nice, though, to see a film about characters like these which isn't downbeat and depressing. Despite their situation they each have an innate optimism and drive that is endearing even if it doesn't quite ring true.

Now, I'm a big Tupac fan and i watched gang related (another movie) which was said to be his best but he didn't act properly, to be honest he moved like he was retarded. (dont hate me 4 saying that, I'm stating the facts.) In Gridlock'd (this movie, he was probably the best actor on set) he acted naturally and UNlike a retard. I recommend people who like Tupac and people who like comedy to watch this,i thought it was pretty funny and clever humor.(...if that makes sense)i liked the music that was on it, i liked it. Tim Roth was another fine actor. he was funny in his own ways.