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Laramie Movie Scope:
Deep Cover

A thoughtful film about undercover cops

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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February 9, 1993 -- ``Deep Cover'' is a recent video release you may not have heard much about, but it is well worth the price of a movie rental.

``Deep Cover,'' starring Larry Fishburne as scrupulous cop recruited to a risky undercover operation to net a South American drug lord, is a tale of risk, betrayal and honor and hellish moral choices.

Fishburne, who got his acting break as a teenager in ``Apocalypse Now,'' makes the most of one of those roles that black actors seldom get in Hollywood, a starring role in a truly thoughtful movie about crime and corruption. It is the black equivalent of ``Goodfellas.''

Fishburne reluctantly takes a deep cover assignment which requires him to deal drugs and even to kill to maintain his cover, despite the fact that he is adamantly opposed to drug use and has never killed a man before.

Gradually, he gets drawn into the underworld and begins to enjoy the power and influence he creates for himself. He loves the risk-taking, the mental challenge of outsmarting the other drug dealers and moving up the underworld success ladder. Jeff Goldblum also stars as a corrupt lawyer who wants to become a major drug dealer. It the best performance of Goldblum's career as he goes from being a timid participant to a man who loves living on the edge of danger, a tiger in the criminal underworld and a friend of Fishburne's.

But Fishburne never completely loses touch with his basic morality and he is finally able to change the rules of the game so that he can come out a winner with some self dignity at the end. The ending of the film is a little weak, but otherwise this is top-notch stuff.

This video rates an A.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)