2004
I wanted to see this in tribute to rapper DMX's recent passing, but the sour, misogynistic and mean-spirited tone wrecked it for me. An attempt at neo-noir is a tough sell by Ernest Dickerson, whose efforts are imploded by unsubtle and unsympathetic characterisations; none of them is well-developed and alas, they come off as hollow. The female characters were badly written and portrayed as weak and as sex pots about to be slapped around as they feel David's wrath, and the male characters are hyper-aggressive or as the token White guy an unnecessary presence; everyone is wasted, with Michael Ealy the biggest culprit and David Arquette totally out of place. DMX's character, King is a drug dealer, womaniser, abuser, gangster who hits women. In the making of Never Die Alone documentary, DMX lamented: ''I don't like me in this movie. I love my acting, but I didn't like some of the things he did, especially to women. I was like, ''damn dog, what are you doing?''. DMX's legacy in hip hop music will never be doubted and he will live on despite his death, unlike this movie; Never Die Alone isn't just a life of grime and life of David's crime, - it is a telling of a story, as horribly conflicted, that is just, as well, grimy as David's attempts of redemption. In the case of this drama, its intent is fine... if only its execution had lent itself to something that was more wholesome and digestible, and less repugnant.
Is It Worth Watching?
Die-hard DMX fans only
Overall:
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