Search - Various Artists :: Deep Cover: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

A superior, yet intimate portrait of an undercover cop

MilesAndTrane | Chicago, Il USA | 12/16/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike many other films that have taken the undercover cop story and pursued it in a typical fashion, "Deep Cover" takes a tense, intimate approach. Director Bill Duke creates a quiet masterpiece casting Laurence Fishburne as a by-the-book cop assigned to infiltrate a major cocaine empire in Los Angeles. His connection inside is Jeff Goldblum (in probably his best performance ever), a supposed clean-shaven Jewish lawyer who secretly longs for the thrill of a gangster's life while trying to maintain a family at home. Duke does not glorify these drug dealers as Scarface-type millionaires who revel in money & mansions but rather paints them as quiet, suspicious businessmen who hold no true alliances to anyone while nesting in pool halls & boxing gyms. There is never a moment where any of these characters are seeking fame & fortune. Instead, they are looking for recognition of their power over both their friends & foes. Fishburne soon finds himself sucked into the dealer's life against his will, doing whatever he can to infiltrate the organization despite how far "deep" he's involved in it (as opposed to the cliche that the cop decides he likes being a drug dealer). Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum also enters the chaos that's unraveling, learning to embrace the thug within him that was waiting to emerge. The film has the unmistakable look & sound of the early 90's (a good time in film & music if you ask me), but it has aged well due to sharp cinematography and a fine soundtrack. The film has a slightly distracting sub-plot involving Fishburne and a Christian cop played by Clarence Williams III, but Williams pulls it off with such conviction that you don't mind. There is also a great performance by character actor (and Spike Lee regular) Roger Guenever Smith as a switchy, mid-level dealer. Possibly one of the most overlooked "cop" films of the 90's, and a must-have for fans of Laurene Fishburne or Jeff Goldblum."

Dre and Snoop are great, rest of disc is weak

MilesAndTrane | 07/02/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The title song by Dre. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg is perhaps one of the best rap songs ever created. The lyrics are excellent and the beats are tight. While, Down With My Nigga and I See Ya Jay are commendable tracks, the rest of the CD is WEAK. The songs are annoying and just plain bad. But the song Deep Cover keeps this a 4 star CD because it is so awesome. Get this CD for the title track and Down With My Nigga but that's it."

The zillion dollar question

Montoya | El Dorado Hills, CA United States | 08/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The five star reviews pretty much say it all about this movie however for me the last line of the film along the lines of: "I could take the money which would be dishonest, or give it back to the government and be a fool, or just do nothing at all - this is the question we all must face at one time or another" extremely appropriate to the times [and probably for any time] and very moving. Overall this movie has tremendous impact and was very well written/directed/produced and last but not least the acting was generally superb throughout!"