Once in the Life

Once in the Life is a 2000 American crime film written by, directed by, and starring Laurence Fishburne. He adapted the script from his own play, Riff Raff.

Once in the Life
Directed byLaurence Fishburne
Produced by
  • David Bushell
  • Helen Sugland
  • Laurence Fishburne
Written byLaurence Fishburne
Based onRiff-Raff
by Laurence Fishburne
Starring
Music byBranford Marsalis
CinematographyRichard Turner
Edited byBill Pankow
Production
companies
  • Cinema Gypsy Productions
  • Shooting Gallery
Distributed byTrimark Home Video
Release date
  • October 27, 2000 (2000-10-27)
Running time
104 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Once in the life of drug dealing and organized crime, can anyone get out? During a brief jail stay, two half-brothers, who have rarely seen each other while growing up, connect. One of them, called 20/20 Mike because he can sense people nearby, concocts a scheme in which the two of them will steal drugs from young couriers. The heist goes awry when Billy, the junkie brother, shoots the victims of the theft. The brothers hole up in an abandoned building, and 20/20 Mike seeks help from an old cellmate, Tony, whom he thinks is out of the life. It turns out that they have stolen Tony's dope, and Tony's boss wants the two thieves dead. Is there any way out?

Cast

Production

Once in the Life was the directorial debut of Laurence Fishburne,[2] and adapted from his own 1994 play Riff Raff.[3] Much of the film was shot in the Hotel Rivieria in Newark, New Jersey.[4]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 28% approval rating based on 25 reviews, and an average rating of 4.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Once in a Life is a promising directorial effort by Laurence Fishburne. But the story is too conventional and similar to the many ghetto action/dramas that come before it."[2]

References
  1. "ONCE IN THE LIFE (2000)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  2. "Once in the Life". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  3. Thomas, Kevin (October 27, 2000). "'Once in the Life' Delivers Tragedy With Street Smarts". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  4. "Hotel Riviera offers affordable option in Newark". The Star-Ledger. September 17, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
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