AniInterview
Sorry, this movie sucks
Smartorhypo
Highly Overrated But Still Good
Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Josephina
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Julie Johnston
If you loved Deep Cover, you might like this film as well. Many of the poetic interludes Fishburne recites in Deep Cover are from the lyrical script of "Once In the Life," a screen adaptation of a play that Fishburne wrote. If you love Larry as much as I do, you'll love this film that is all Larry, all hot, and all fleshed out. Of course there is gun play and illicit substance use, this is a gangster movie of sorts, after all, but the script is beautiful and the story is touching, even a little on the chick flick side.AMAZING film...dark, frightening, sexy, and exciting. If you ever sneaked out at night or hung out in a clubhouse, you'll get the proper impact of the cramped sets (metephorically echoing being trapped in the life). Full of clever foreshadowing and complex relationships, this film is tight..every sentiment mirrored in the set dressing and camera shots. GOOD WORK!
george.schmidt
ONCE IN THE LIFE (2000) **1/2 Laurence Fishburne, Titus Welliver, Eamonn Walker, Annabella Sciorra, Paul Calderon, Gregory Hines, Michael Paul Chan, Dominic Chianese, Jr., Tiger Chen, Sue Costello, Jim Breuer. Fishburne makes his big-screen directorial debut adapting his play 'Riff Raff' about two half-brother, petty criminal siblings (Welliver is memorable as the ne'er do well junkie with a short fuse) who meet unlikely after many years and after botching an improvised crime together sit and wait things out in a crack house recalling their pasts with Fishburne's former cell mate Walker who is equally in deep water.Great acting and claustrophobic settings only mar in this rather stagy and staid film in an otherwise engaging character study of losers.
megadoomer
I caught this movie on IFC and I enjoyed it, although I felt like the editing job was a little rough, though it may have been deliberate. I had a little bit of a hard time figuring out what was going on at first because they seemed to be going for a little bit of a Pulp Fiction-style non-linear plot presentation. It seemed a little forced, though. I certainly think that the movie is worth watching, but I think it could have used a little cleaning up. Some scenes just don't seem to make sense after others.
I'm surprised to see the rating here as low as it is. It's not outstanding, but it doesn't have any really serious problems. I gave it a 7/10. The movie did show at least that Laurence Fishburne can act when he wants to. They must have just told him not to in the Matrix movies.
pawcatch
This is really a great unknown movie.Perfect dialogue without the typical clichés.This movie relied on the actor's talent and it was pulled off.It even had a little bit a comedy in it,but it wasn't overdone.Once in the Life is what a crime drama is supposed to be,not the typical special affects garbage with sex thrown in.I especially loved the interracial aspects of it all.Now onto the actors themselves. Laurence Fishburne was superb at playing a career petty criminal.It's a shame that he's only allowed to show his talent in his own movie. Titus Welliver was fabulous as Fishburne's junky half-brother. Eamonn Walker added flavor to the already perfectly spiced film. Paul Calderon was perfect as a grease monkey/drug lord.I loved his acting since "King of New York". But the best acting in this film came from Gregory Hines and Michael Paul Chan,who were paired perfectly as two of Calderon's henchmen.Once in the Life is for sure a keeper. ****1/2* out of *****.
