Sorry, this movie sucks

Memorable, crazy movie

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Caught Up is bad..really, really bad. It looks like it was done by amateur and with the exception of competent cinematography everything else about it blows.The story: Darryl Allen(Bokeem Woodbine) is having the worst luck ever. He loses his moronic friend to a high speed chase accident. He meets a mysterious woman named Vanessa Dietrich(Cynda Williams) who gets him in the middle of a scandal involving pilfered diamonds from a Jamaican mobster. He is forced to work for a fruity and shady limousine owner named Wild Bill. He befriends one of the guys at this job who ends up being an undercover cop named Frank Lewdon(Clifton Powell)posing as some unfortunate bum named Herbert. On top of all that he keeps getting shot at by somebody(who I will reveal later in this review).You know a movie is in trouble when the cameo appearances by Snoop Dogg and LL Cool J are the best thing about it. You know a movie is in trouble when a sex scene involving Cynda and Bokeem is better than the rest of the movie. The acting is awful. Bokeem Woodbine was great in Jason's Lyric, Panther, Strapped, Gridlock'd etc but he stinks here. Its not his fault. The script is a terrible one that causes for him to profusely overact at every scene. The only scene he fared well in was the scene where he talks to his son over the phone. Bokeem's performance elsewhere in this movie was hammy. Now, I love Clifton Powell but he gives the worst performance of his acting career as the unscrupulous undercover Frank Lewdon. The interrogation scene where he spits back in Daryl Allen's face and slaps him around is laughable to a fault. Having Cynda Williams play both Trish and Vanessa made the movie all the more confusing. As a matter of fact that is the biggest flaw of Caught Up: its confusing as hell from start to finish. The film gets hysterically bad and worse as it progresses. It has plot holes big enough to fit the state of Texas in. Let me give you two examples of the huge holes in this story: Vanessa murders Trish and puts her dead body next to Darryl in a motel. Question: How does she know where Trish stays? Plot hole #2: Darryl is constantly getting shot at and in the end it turns out to be the same cop his friend shot in the groin earlier in the movie. Question: how does this wacky cop know where to find Darryl at? These are the few examples of the many plot holes in Caught Up. A movie so bizarre that it makes you wonder if the director and writer was sloshed while he wrote this tripe. There is a reason why Darin Scott fell off the map after this movie. Caught Up is confusing, jumble mess of a movie that adds to the negative stigma attached to low budget movies. Some low budget movies can be good but this movie is not one of the exceptions. Stick with the soundtrack. Its more satisfying than this stinker.

For once, I agree 100% with the review of this movie. It is dead on. It was very poorly written although I was a bit intrigued by the twists and turns. The plot was a deja vu, very similar to some of the old school blaxploitation movies, updated with a modern look, and language. I did expect the soundtrack, which I didn't care for anyway in the extras on the DVD, to play more of a role, but I can't recall even hearing any music in the entire movie. Maybe because the plot was so weak I didn't notice the music.I purchased the DVD for like $4. It was in a bin with thousands of other DVDs collecting dust. Seeing the beautiful Cynda Williams is worth the $4. Just put the movie on mute and you're good to go!

"Caught Up" had that low budget feel but the low key and well paced mystery kept my attention. Bookem Woodbine (Daryl) was refreshing as a ex-convict trying to go straight but every turn in the road ahead seems to lead him closer back to jail. Bookem Woodbine has a very deep baritone voice like Earl Jones, and his delivery is rough at times but he was genuine. I thought this movie was going to be a yawner early on until the part where Daryl barks "I ain't going down like no punk!" That was a delivery of a one-liner comparable to "I'll be back" by Arnold. Cyndia Willams (Vanessa) was very pleasing to the eye as the mysterious, seductive woman that plays Daryl as the fool. She is the other reason to watch this movie. Also, some other notable guest cameo is made the Candy Man, Snoop Doggy Dog, and Ll Cool J of "Deep Blue Sea" (who didn't go down like a punk).

Gems sometimes crop up in the most surprising places. "Caught Up" provides the pleasures of a well-structured plot, especially the payoff one gets when something brought up earlier means something important (even clever) later, e.g. the identity of the hitman. Combine these tasty plot twists with good acting and good dialogue, and you've got a movie worth staying up to watch on cable