B-Movie Gazette: LAWRENCE FISHBURNE IS AN EX-CON TRYING TO LIVE A CLEAN LIFE BUT IS "ALWAYS OUTNUMBERED, ALWAYS OUTGUNNED" (TV 1998)

B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - THE DEATH OF RITCHIE (TV 1977)

Looks like a lot of fun to me, I don't know. Seriously and for those that don't know, The Death Of Ritchie is one of the most iconic TV movies of the entire '70's decade. I was roughly 15 when it aired and i can tell you that both Robby Benson and teens taking drugs were very hot topics at the time. The film is based on a true story where a father who couldn't control his teen's behavior from drug abuse was forced to take the law into his own hands. The father here is good ole Ben Gazzara and he is at his Gazzara best with a ferocious intensity, his scenes with Benson as father and son a perfect chemistry. At the time more emphasis was on Benson as a model but his performance here is really amazing. Streams free on Tubi, Freevee, Roku and Plex, if this was being rated on the standard scale I would give it five stars, 'nuff said. 2.75 stars/2.75

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

LAWRENCE FISHBURNE IS AN EX-CON TRYING TO LIVE A CLEAN LIFE BUT IS "ALWAYS OUTNUMBERED, ALWAYS OUTGUNNED" (TV 1998)

Those in the over 50 crowd may remember these huge paperback ordeals called the VHS movie guides that were put out every year for a while. It was through one of these books that I first discovered this HBO made-for-cable gem. I remember the paragraph saying Fishburne commanded every shot and you wouldn't be able to take your eyes off him and they were right. Through the years I've turned many a movie lover onto this one, a film with a big heart and lots of dedication from the people that made it. Namely Fishburne, Walter Mosley and the legendary Bill Cobbs. Another one of the many big pluses is a stunning cameo from Isaiah Washington as a hood who chooses the wrong day to mess with Socrates Fortlow (Fishburne.)

Fortlow is an ex-con who strives to live a better life but due to a lot of his circumstances is yep, always outnumbered, always outgunned. He's trying hard to graduate from his can-collecting life and get a real job in West LA but the supermarket manager there (Laurie Metcalf) keeps showing him the door. Meanwhile, he befriends a neglected neighborhood boy who's fallen in with the wrong crowd. His best friend (Bill Cobbs, just incredible) is dying and the movie's ending sequence where they go out for one last drink together is about as real as it gets.

This is one of those films I will never tire of singing it's praises. Enjoy. 2.75 stars/2.75