Under Cover

UNDER COVER is a South African crime thriller of the 1980s; at a best guess the year of release was 1980 although with online resources so scant it's difficult to say for sure. It was made as part of a burgeoning film industry that made films for black audiences, featuring local actors whose dedication to the craft was every bit as professional as those in Hollywood.

Recently, a production company called Gravel Road Productions has taken on the task of remastering these films for modern-day release and UNDER COVER has been selected for that treatment. It's a good choice for interested viewers to check out, because the crime plot works well in the local setting. Sure, the film is very low budget and rather talky, but it does build to a relatively exciting climax with some action.

The main character is a rookie cop whose latest role is to go undercover as a hit-man and execute a local police captain. By doing this he will be able to infiltrate the mob and aim to capture the boss, but soon others are already suspicious of his presence and the whole plan threatens to fail. Although UNDER COVER is impossible to judge by the standards of similar films made around the world, I found it a surprisingly professional piece of work even though it's slow and long-winded by normal film standards.