Deep Cover

    Deep Cover
    1992

    Synopsis

    Black police officer Russell Stevens applies for a special anti-drug squad which targets the highest boss of cocaine delivery to LA—the Colombian foreign minister's nephew. Russell works his way up from the bottom undercover, until he reaches the boss.

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    Cast

    • Laurence FishburneRussell Stevens Jr. / John Hull
    • Jeff GoldblumDavid Jason
    • Victoria DillardBetty McCutcheon
    • Gregory SierraFelix Barbosa
    • Clarence Williams IIITaft
    • René AssaGuzman
    • Alex ColonMolto
    • Roger Guenveur SmithEddie
    • Sydney LassickGopher
    • Kamala LopezBelinda Chacon

    Recommandations

    • 88

      Chicago Sun-Times

      What sets Deep Cover apart is its sense of good and evil, the way it has the Fishburne character agonize over the moral decisions he has to make.
    • 83

      Entertainment Weekly

      A gripping, often raw, action thriller.
    • 80

      Chicago Reader

      What emerges is a powerhouse thriller full of surprises, original touches, and rare political lucidity, including an impressive performance by Jeff Goldblum as a Jewish yuppie gangster.
    • 78

      Austin Chronicle

      Director Duke (A Rage in Harlem and countless TV work) rivets our attention with his tightly framed shots and crisp editing that intelligently revives that bygone tradition of jump cuts (though they confusingly disappear completely midway through the movie).
    • 75

      TV Guide Magazine

      DEEP COVER has a shaky beginning and a hokey ending but, somewhere in between, it becomes a movie of considerable power--largely thanks to the contrasting styles of its two stars.
    • 70

      Time Out

      Eventually, biting on a little more than it can chew, the film reverts to type. But in addition to Fishburne, it gives us a first-rate soundtrack, a clutch of splendid cameos, fine, grainy direction from Duke, and much pointed stuff about the hypocrisy behind the USA's so-called war against drugs.
    • 50

      Washington Post

      While Fishburne is generally riveting -- his facial disguise is basically hardness layered onto strength -- and Goldblum is intriguing -- his wannabe urges are quite curious -- the film itself is only occasionally visceral.
    • 50

      Variety

      Convoluted and mostly unconvincing as a portrait of the drug underworld, Deep Cover [based on a story by Michael Tolkin] still carries some resonance due to its vivid portrait of societal decay and a heavyweight performance by Larry Fishburne.