Product Details

• Actors: Eamonn Walker, Laurence Fishburne, Gregory Hines, Michael Paul Chan, Dominic Chianese Jr.
• Directors: Laurence Fishburne
• Writers: Laurence Fishburne
• Producers: C.J. Follini, David L. Bushell, Donald C. Carter, Helen Sugland, Joseph J. DiMartino
• Format: PAL
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005UBLO
• For more information about "Once in the Life" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Laurence Fishburne established himself as one of the most compelling actors making films today with simmering performances that command the screen. With Once in the Life, a tale of small-time crooks on the run from a heist gone wrong, he adds screenwriter and director to his resumé. Adapted by the director from his stage play Riff Raff, he makes himself a triple threat as he also stars as 20/20 Mike, a small-time street hustler who cooks up a drug rip-off with his estranged half-brother Torch (Titus Welliver, reprising his stage role). When simple robbery turns into a fatal bloodbath they hide out in a claustrophobic rat hole and wait for Mike's buddy Tony the Tiger (the intense Eamonn Walker of HBO's cable series Oz). Tony is "out of the life," or so he says. Mike is too trusting to remember the truism that gives the film its title: "Once in the life, always in the life."

The heart of the film remains with these three in the dark, dingy hideout. We've seen this portrait of family, friends, and honor torn asunder by the criminal life before, and the overly talky picture never shakes its insular theatrical origins, but Fishburne pulls out some beautiful performances, especially his own mercurial turn as Mike. He delivers a fierce and exhilarating performance, and Walker burns as his trusted former cellmate, his glowing eyes and glowering expression giving his tortured struggle a tragic dimension. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-see for Titus Welliver fans, May 1, 2001

By 

Me (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once in the Life (DVD)

Finally an opportunity for Titus Welliver to let his exceptional skills as an actor sparkle. His portrait of Torch, 20/20 Mike's dangerous, scared and increasingly suffering brother, is so intense and captivating, it makes you forget that you are watching a movie. I don't know why he has not been considered for an Academy Award; he certainly would have deserved it.

This is not an easy movie to watch, but the cast, the story and Laurence Fishburne's talent as a story-teller makes it a breathtaking experience for those who enjoy theatrical cinema.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Movie - I suggest you take a look, December 29, 2009

By 

"Sam I Am" "Sam I Am" (Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Once in the Life [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I would suggest anyone take a look. You'll love the variety. The settings are real, there's lots of messages thrown at you with the camera, as well as a timelines through objects, clothes, cars. The point of views are essential and speaks to you or shall I say conveys a message. The dialogue asks you to entertain ideas, point of views, right & wrong and that middle ground, and even more.

It's exciting. It's a story and it's real.

The only other thing I will add is that if a person is not used to being around diverse groups of people, they might make the ignorant comment of saying certain things were unreal, such as a white boy and a half black half hispanic could share the same father, and live in the same hood. You might even question the head of the drug ring and if he would be amongs the people of the hood. But like I said, and like Laurence Fishburne said in, "Hoodlum," 'If you don't know, you don't know.'

But the things in the movie all come together to tell another hood story, but about ground men who were once in the life during their prime, and in the later years still run around trying to be in the mix of things. I wonder if Tony learned his lesson and will pull out, or if he will always be in the life, hmmmmm.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once in the Life, March 11, 2010

By 

TREND700 "TREND700" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once in the Life (DVD)

During a brief jail stay, two half-brothers, who have rarely seen each other while growing up, connect. One of them, called 20/20 Mike because he can sense people nearby, concocts a scheme in which the two of them will steal some dope from young couriers. The heist goes awry when Billy, the junkie brother, shoots the victims of the theft. The brothers hole up in an abandoned building, and 20/20 Mike seeks help from an old cell mate, Tony, whom he thinks is out of the life. It turns out that they have stolen Tony's dope, and Tony's boss wants the two thieves dead. Perfect dialogue without the typical clichés. This movie relied on the actor's talent and it was pulled off. Laurence Fishburne was superb at playing a career petty criminal. Titus Welliver is fabulous as Fishburne's junky half-brother. I think the best acting in this movie came from Gregory Hines and Michael Paul Chan, they paired perfectly as two of Calderon's henchmen. Great crime drama with very good acting.