IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
A former prisoner tries to save a neighbor youth from following him down the wrong path.A former prisoner tries to save a neighbor youth from following him down the wrong path.A former prisoner tries to save a neighbor youth from following him down the wrong path.
- Awards
- 1 win & 6 nominations total
Featured reviews
But human on the inside. A warm, thoughtful, touching examination of both men and women. The little indignities we visit on each other everyday whether we are aware of them or not. The strength to do the right thing. This film is possibly Larry Fishburne's finest performance, subtle, nuanced, deeply felt. He seems so natural that this could be a documentary. Black on the surface because Walter Mosley can only write what he knows,as I can only write about what I have experienced, but human inside because here is a thoughtful man reflecting on a world that is not black and white but multicultural and multi-ethnic with the focus on what he knows.
This film should be shown in every school. It may not cure the troubles we see there but those it does reach will be changed.
This film should be shown in every school. It may not cure the troubles we see there but those it does reach will be changed.
A beautiful piece of cinema - don't be put off by the fact that it's listed as a television production - it has more heart and soul and craftsmanship than any fifty contemporary Hollywood films. Fishburne's portrayal of this very intricate character is one of the great male screen performances of his generation. I'll confess that I had more than a few tears rolling down my cheeks at the end of the film. Once again ignoring exceptional small-scale work, the Academy Awards and movie media in general proved themselves to be so much debilitating, meaningless, commercial rubbish by ignoring it. Resist the dumbing down of America and support films like this and, for example, "The Station Agent."
Ground breaking moral film running counter to the exploitative mainstream. Deserves, and will probably receive, serious study by film students for many years to come.
I can only imagine this would have been the kind of rare, special once-in-a-life-time project all who participated must feel pretty good about.
I can only imagine this would have been the kind of rare, special once-in-a-life-time project all who participated must feel pretty good about.
This is what I considered one on the more underrated films in our time.It doesn't happen very often where you actually take some type of a lesson from a film. This one was able to do just that.
This wasn't a movie about an angry black man who felt life owed him anything, it was just the opposite. It was about a man DOING something with his life after spending time in prison. Rather than being a drain on society, he worked for his money, and damn hard I must say. It didn't matter what he did to earn it, just as long as it was legal. He also was able to help a friend fill a void, another end his pain and help a child who needed guidance.
I know this movie was only fiction, but I wish our society were filled with people like Socrates.
This wasn't a movie about an angry black man who felt life owed him anything, it was just the opposite. It was about a man DOING something with his life after spending time in prison. Rather than being a drain on society, he worked for his money, and damn hard I must say. It didn't matter what he did to earn it, just as long as it was legal. He also was able to help a friend fill a void, another end his pain and help a child who needed guidance.
I know this movie was only fiction, but I wish our society were filled with people like Socrates.
I came across this movie late one Sunday on HBO. I only got to see the last hour of it, but I was astounded by how moving it was. I tracked down the showtime and made time to watch it.
This film is about Laurence Fishburne s attempt to find a place in the society that he left when he committed a terrible crime. There is a slight tinge of Black angst, but that isn't the main point. He could be any man, trying to find a new home and dealing with his past. It takes a long time before people come to accept Mr. Fortlow for what he is, a man in the true sense of the word.
He teaches us all a lesson in what it should be like to be a man. Be honest and true to yourself. Deal fairly with others. Do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Simple to say, hard to do when you are always outnumbered
This film is about Laurence Fishburne s attempt to find a place in the society that he left when he committed a terrible crime. There is a slight tinge of Black angst, but that isn't the main point. He could be any man, trying to find a new home and dealing with his past. It takes a long time before people come to accept Mr. Fortlow for what he is, a man in the true sense of the word.
He teaches us all a lesson in what it should be like to be a man. Be honest and true to yourself. Deal fairly with others. Do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Simple to say, hard to do when you are always outnumbered
Did you know
- TriviaThe cap that Socrates wears throughout the movie reads "90291", the zip code corresponding to the Los Angeles suburb of Venice (roughly 15 miles west of where this movie takes place). The M'Shalla family moves to Venice at the end of the movie after Howard gets a job there.
- Quotes
Socrates Fortlow: You and your friends did wrong, Darryl. Now, I'm just talking to you, one black man to another, all right, 'cause, see, if you don't know when you've done wrong, life ain't worth a damn.
- ConnectionsSpin-off The Right Mistake
- SoundtracksChain of Fools
Written by Don Covay (as Dan Covay)
Published by Fourteenth Hour Music Inc., Promptu
Performed by Aretha Franklin
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 44m(104 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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