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In 'Never Die Alone' DMX plays King David, a man who returns to face his past, a man seeking redemption, but instead meets nothing but street violence. The kind of violence you see in movies all the time. The kind of violence that makes me wonder sometimes if it really happens. I guess it does - or else they wouldn't make movies about it.
Anyways, in the movie King David is charismatic. He's the kind of guy that, if I were a street thug, I'd want to be him. He's cool. He's well-dressed. He's got a way with the ladies. And he's got enough money to back it up. You almost forget that he's a criminal. But early in the story, we're reminded that he's a criminal, and that street violence isn't a glamorous thing. And here, when the violence subsides, we're left with one man - struggling author - who is left to piece it all together. That man is Paul (David Arquette), and just as he stumbles across the violence, he also stumbles across a series of audio cassettes compiled by King David explaining his side of the story - and he doesn't do himself any favors. He paints his life as a criminal - and a ruthless one at that. And as the story unfolds, the questions are answered. Who is King David? And how did his life end up where it did?
As for the movie - it's a bit predictable, and it has been done before (and been done better). DMX is okay. He's got a bit of that charisma shown in King David, but not enough to carry the movie. Maybe it's just my bias against musicians-turned-actors, but he definitely needs a few more roles under his belt before he can carry a movie all by himself. But, of course, there's going to be that crowd that's going to see this movie for DMX. And I'm sure they won't be disappointed.
Not the greatest special features here. First, there's a full-length audio commentary with DMX, director Ernest Dickerson and screenwriter James Gibson. Had it not been for DMX, this commentary would have been a lot better. But it was just strange. It starts out with a little rap by our star and quickly goes downhill from there. DMX is all over the place and when he leaves in the middle of the commentary, you're almost thankful. He's just a distraction. Dickerson and Gibson try their best, but by this point, there's really no interest.
More special features include some deleted scenes with optional director/writer commentary, most of which shows that Arquette had more of a role that was left on the cutting room floor. The features are wrapped up by a making-of featurette (which is nothing more than a 5-minute promotional piece) and some trailers for some related films.
As I said, there's going to be people who want to see this film. DMX is one of the most popular musical talents out there, so the movie has a built-in audience. Plus, writer Donald Goines is pretty popular in his own circles, so I'm sure there'll be his fans added to the mix. However, be warned. Despite the charismatic performance of DMX, the movie falls into the been there-done that category.
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