Never Die Alone (2004)

Redundant and unnecessary.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

"King" David(DMX, who's... a better rapper than he is an actor; in general, the performances are "fine" or worse), a charming scumbag(who does genuinely possess both qualities), returns to pay his debts to Moon, the dealer he screwed over, among others(and to narrate this entire thing, as his exploits in LA are shown in flashback). Only it's too late. He's done too much to just "make amends", and he doesn't realize in time. His return sparks a series of events involving both of the aforementioned, and Mike, who works for the latter and is very protective of his sister. You can somewhat figure out a number of the places this story of revenge and karma goes, but at least it does take itself seriously, keeping to the bleak tone throughout. The environment is brutal and unflinching. There's essentially no likable characters in this, just degrees of despicable. That's intentional, it's part of the approach, but it does make it a straining viewing experience. At least it does keep to a nice pace and it gets going immediately. It's pretty tense and exciting. This is largely realistic and psychologically credible. The hand-held cinematography is quite good(and immersive), if the occasional 90 degree angle turn is off-putting. There is a lot of graphic, bloody violence, disturbing content, strong language and direct sexuality in this. The DVD comes with an informational and interesting commentary track(with the star, director and screenwriter), 10 minutes of "meh" deleted scenes, a 5 and a half minute decent making of featurette, trailers for Inkasso, Saw, Paparazzi, The Machinist, Af Banen, Hotel Rwanda, Merchant of Venice, A Home at the end of the World and this. I recommend this to fans of gruesome ghetto dramas. 6/10

At first glance of the film's movie poster, many viewers, before seeing Ernest Dickerson's Never Die Alone (2004), will assume it is an action picture like Scarface (1983) and New Jack City (1991). This isn't an action picture, but a drama, although it does deserve comparison to the latter movies.Never Die Alone is the story of a viscous, cold blooded, and evil man known as King David. As the movie opens, King David (DMX) is laying dead in a coffin. Many will see this as a spoiler, but it isn't. This movie isn't about the events that occur, but about the story and the characters.As the film opens, King David has returned from Los Angeles to New York to repay a debt to a drug dealer known as Moon (Clifton Powell). Moon sends his boy, Mike (Michael Ealy), and another man to collect the money.But then the pickup turns violent against Moon's request, and King David ends up getting stabbed in the process. He is helped by Paul (David Arquette), an earnest journalist who hangs around in the tough streets of Harlem. Paul comes to the aid of David, and, of course, King David dies.Upon his death, King David gives Paul a nice car, money, jewelry, and eventually, Paul finds a collection of audiotapes chronicling the last ten years of David's life.We learn that King David was a ladies' man. The women in his life were all drug users. But what King David does to these three women is monstrous: he falls in love with them, gets to know them, then hooks them on cocaine. Then he switches them to heroin without them knowing. What's monstrous is when he decides to give them a little "test." DMX, as King David, is hard and cold. Just as we begin to care and show sympathy for King David, we begin to show hatred towards this vile, and evil man. Through flashbacks and events, we realize that King David is a man who shows no apologies for the evil things he's done, and he makes them look like an everyday activity.The film also seems to suggest that there is some sort of connection between both Mike and King David.DMX has done some terrible films in the past, such as Romeo Must Die (2000), Exit Wounds (2001), and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), which were all mindless action pictures meant to entertain, but in Never Die Alone, he gives his best performance up to date.Never Die Alone is a good movie, but I felt that David Arquette's character was poorly developed, but he gives a good performance, anyway. In the end we never know whether he has shown remorse for King David or felt that he deserved to die for what he's done. But Paul is more of a pawn than a mover to the plot. Half the time, he doesn't realize how much danger he's putting his life in, such as when he drives around in King David's car.Cinematographer-turned-director Ernest Dickerson creates a dark atmosphere and he keeps the film dark to the very end. He keeps the action scenes brief and brutal, and it doesn't distract the viewer away from the plot. This is his strongest work.Never Die Alone is not an action picture. It's a movie about an evil man, who shows no apologies for the evil things he's done to others. By the end, the movie asks Paul, the journalist, and even the viewer, do you think King David really deserved to die?

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs Drug kingpin King David (DMX) returns to his hometown to settle some old scores.However,when an exchange goes wrong,he finds his life coming to a premature end.An intrepid reporter (David Arquette) discovers some tapes where he tells the story of his life up to the point of his death and decides to use them to compile a report.However,as a witness to the crime,he is also being head-hunted by those responsible for David's death...Former rap star turned actor DMX's career up to this point has mostly consisted of co-starring roles in action movies such as Exit Wounds and Cradle 2 the Grave.So at first glance of this little caper,it's hard not to approach it as a similar such film,only with him in the lead.The front cover has him pointing two guns down at the floor in the style of an action film.Even the title sounds like the latest James Bond movie!But nothing could in fact be further from the truth.This is a thoughtful,well-written,and,in it's own way,rather sensitive tale of retribution,responsibility and redemption.You could say it was a bit under-long,but it's actually rather admirable that such an involving story with it's tough themes is skillfully crammed into such a short running time.DMX is a much better than you might have thought and carries what must be his most prominent film to date with an engaging raw sensitivity and power that is most impressive.Another recommendable quality of the film is the grainy noir style it is shot in,adding a Channel 4 art-house kind of feel to it that would set it apart from any other film of it's kind.It obviously didn't have the star power that it thought it had to arrive in theatres on this side of the Atlantic,but it's a recommendable film none-the-less,shaky,raw,powerful and,of course,with a hollering,growling soundtrack from the Darkman himself.See it.****

I was rather impressed with how strong this film is. Having heard not much about it I was expecting another 'In Da Hood' film. I didn't have much confidence in Ernest Dickerson (Surviving the Game, Demon Knight) as his direction hasn't matured in the past decade. I eat my words now. He definitely brings a strong visual integrity to Never Die Alone.DMX turns in a believable performance as King David a New York drug dealer who legs it to LA when he steals his bosses stash. Upon his return years later he is promptly offed by a two-bit thug. In his dying moments he bequeaths his entire legacy to investigative reporter David Arquette (who is great in his role too). Before the night is over Arquette pieces together his life and an awful past full of heinous crimes is unleashed, but it's not over yet and Arquette becomes marked for death by King David's still very angry boss.In a mere 88 minutes Never Die Alone tells an intriguing story in non-chronological order and sets up a remarkable array of complexly interwoven characters. It's surely a character drama first before anything else. Don't misjudge it as being no more than a violent 'gangsta' thriller. The violence is brutal and honest but it does not distract, none of it is superfluous.Dickerson's direction has a Gothic, urban noir edge to it that has the feel of a 1950's pulp novel. It's dark, very dark and some may feel slightly uncomfortable with how frank Never Die Alone is in it's depiction of misogyny and the utter ruthlessness of it's central, highly evil character.The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. There are a bunch of extras I never had time to check out. But this is definitely a movie for fans of (the initially unrecognisable) DMX, just don't expect one of those nice but bad characters he played in Exit Wounds or Cradle 2 the Grave. King David is a bad, bad man.