Product Details

• Actors: Vanessa L. Williams, Usher Raymond
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CWSU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,449 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Light it Up" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Negotiator Audrey McDonald attempts to maintain peace when a group of troubled and unsatisfied high school students hold a police officer hostage in a classroom.
Genre: Feature Film Urban Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 11-JAN-2005
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best movies ever!, June 14, 2000

By 

Steven White (nowheresville TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light It Up [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Wow,I am in awe of this genious movie.I guess it's kinda controversial(they take a cop hostage and lock themselves in the school to prove their points) but that only adds to the brilliance of it.I thought Usher was just a talentless teen idol but this movie changed my mind about him.He really is amazing as an actor.It was also a nice suprise to see my favorite actress Sara Gilbert appear in it.As always,she is superb.This movie speaks a lot of truth.Its also full of hope.Hope that maybe someday people will understand that age is just a number.Maybe they'll realize that racism gets us nowhere.THAT'S what this movie is all about.As one of the characters said,"All we want is respect!".Thats what its all about.Standing up for your beliefs.I highly reccomend this fabulous movie to anyone.It changed my life.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A view from the other side, September 18, 2000

By 

Flit Asuno (Western hemisphere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light it Up (DVD)

Too many times in recent years we have tuned into the news only to hear of another school shooting. In this movie, we see it from the point of view of the students involved. This brilliant film from Craig Bolotin, the director of Miami Vice, shows us how good people can suddenly find themselves involved in bad situations. Because of a self-serving principal and a cop with too much attitude, six high school students take the cop hostage and ask for better school furniture, textbooks, etc., as their demands. As the movie plays on, we see that each character is very deep and complex -- each with her or his demons, each with redeeming qualities. The beginning of the film, until the time that the cop is taken hostage, seems contrived and there are several inconsistencies with the film, but overall, it is definitely worth watching.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 187 fans, it's time to Light it Up, October 9, 2001

By 

Daniel Lukoff (Bend, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light It Up [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Light it Up brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "Ride or die", as Lester, a student at Lincoln High in New York, takes the school, along with five of his classmates; some friends, some merely acquaintances. Regardless of their relationships at the beginning of this whole ordeal, they all had one thing in common; they had been branded as gangbangers and deadbeats, before they even had the chance to be themselves.

The sparks begin to fly when Mr. Knowles (Judd Nelson), a highly-respected, well-liked teacher is fired, after becoming a hero.

Driven by the demons that plague his mind, and the memory of his father, Lester Dewitt (Usher Raymond) was only trying to protect his friend Ziggy (Robert Ri'chard), a young artist, from a security officer named Jackson (Forest Whitaker), when the officer loses his gun in the struggle. The gun goes off, and leaves Jackson with a wound to the leg.

And so it begins. Lester grabs up the gun, and rounds up the five other students who witnessed the struggle, and who knew what really took place, taking Jackson hostage.

Hours will pass... the city will watch... the students will be heard, because this is their time.

Light it Up is sure to grab your gut and twist it with an unrelentness fist. You will become the characters portrayed, and you will live those hours that killed the demons in their minds, as you sit back in the comfort of your own, cozy living room, and Light it Up.