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A Fox release. Written by James Gibson; directed by Ernest Dickerson; starring DMX. Released to DVD on July 15, 2004. With the notable exception of Will Smith, rappers have had an absolutely abysmal record of picking quality projects they want to associate themselves with. Ice Cube has done a better job than any of the other rappers, but even he has movies like Torque, All About the Benjamins, Ghosts of Mars and Anaconda on his permanent record. Whether this phenomenon occurs because rappers have such a limited acting range that they rarely stray far from roles as cops or criminal or because their presence in a given film is often a marketing gimick designed to sell more copies of the film’s soundtrack is anybody’s guess. Regardless of why it occurs though, the fallout is wide-spread. Entering the screening room for the latest DMX vehicle, Never Die Alone, I braced myself for the worst. I cringed, waiting for the on-slaught of long-winded, opinionated and generally hard-core voiceovers courtesy of DMX, the inclusion of numerous DMX songs and little in the way of plot or character motivation. And for fifteen minutes, I got just that. Then, much to my surprise, Never Die Alone began to transition into a stylish, interesting and dynamic independent film. It was almost as though director Ernest Dickerson had been given a checklist of features the studio wanted him to include in the film. Dickerson agreed, readily included everything the studio had requested within the first quarter hour and then went on to make the picture he had originally envisioned. Adopting a far more challenging plot structure than the grand majority of other urban gangster films, Never Die Alone is the story of DMX’s King David. Dead from the opening frame of the film forward, this is a posthumous look back at the life of a genuinely sadistic small time criminal and drug pusher. After stealing a kilo of cocaine from a local crime boss and then jetting from New York to LA, David becomes an instant celebrity. He actually has good drugs that he’s selling. Returning to New York some years later, David is convinced that he can buy his way out of the doghouse. Little does he know that a young, up-and-coming gangster, Michael (Michael Ealy) has other plans for him. Never Die Alone succeeded to the degree it did for one notable reason: it was a raw and honest film. Dickerson never sanded down any of his movies rough edges–and this movie is virtually a compilation of rough edges–and he took great pains to keep his thugs gritty and violent. Case in point: one of David’s favorite tricks in life is to date a girl, get her hooked on cocaine and then switch her to heroin without her knowledge. This is a movie about characters who bottom out, characters whose entire lives are consumed by drugs, retribution and money and it is a refreshing change of pace. Nobody learns any lessons. Drug addicts are drug addicts, hitmen are hitmen and there is no silver lining. In this respect, Never Die Alone is a very real film and, I repeat, this is a refreshing change of pace. DMX is perfectly cast in the lead role and delivers a chillingly detached performance as David that deserves significantly more attention than it has been getting. Much like Michael Madsen’s performance as Mr. Brown in Reservoir Dogs, DMX’s performance here is so nuanced, manipulative and realistically evil that it might cause a whole new generation of Americans to quickly cross the street upon recognition. Never Die Alone is not a great film, worthy of Oscar nominations and lengthy television specials, but it is shockingly better than anything you could possibly imagine for an urban gangster saga. And for that, Dickerson and DMX deserve some special recognition.
Chris Neumer |
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