Dead Presidents

Pros: Acting, Direction, Editing, Soundtrack
Cons: Overly ambitious story runs out of gas halfway home

”I was born a poor black child.” Navin R. Johnson, “The Jerk” Dead Presidents is an uneven urban drama concerning a well-meaning young man’s coming of age and his descent into crime. Rather than going to college as ...

Pros: Solid cast, directing, plot, acting and soundtrack
Cons: Three hours of several subplots jammed into two hours.

Mrs. Curtis: Did you pick up any bad habits in Vietnam like using drugs? Anthony Curtis: No bad habits, Ma. Except for a little killing. Directed by Allen & Albert Hughes Written by Allen & Albert Hughes Larenz Tate as Anthony ...

Pros: Great Plot & Even Better Acting.
Cons: Not Recognized With The Awards The Film Deserved

The Benjamins, Bones, Dough, Jingle, and Cash! Better known as money. What would we do to get it? How far would we go? Watch this movie. It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Black film. Set during the late 60’s and early 70’s, it is a tale...

Pros: Good quality direction and wel put to gether
Cons: Very depressing, hard to see why the film was made

The film Stars Larenze Tate, my initial feeling was ok I hope this is not like menace II Society that film was depressing. I gave this a chance anyway! Its 1968 then 1969 three friends are contemplating their futures after finishing High school. One ...

Pros: direction, script, cast, story, ambition, themes
Cons: 'covers too much ground', many will find it offensive

After their first film Menace II Society (1993) was an unqualified commercial and critical success, young twin filmmakers Albert and Allen Hughes had something of a sophomore jinx with Dead Presidents. Critical reaction was mixed at best,...

Pros: Incredible story, action, and acting.
Cons: That it didn't get recognized like it deserved.

When "Dead Presidents" was first released, it got a chilly reception at best. Critics were turned off because they felt it didn't match the quality of the Hughes Brothers equally awesome "Menace 2 Society", and audiences stayed away because the movie...

Pros: Ok cast, some neat scenes
Cons: Too dark and sad, drags

Note: Dead Presidents derives it's name from the term often used to describe money, because all money has a picture of a dead president on it. Some people actually don't know that, so I'm telling you so that you won't think this is a movie about trying...

Pros: Dead-on acting, deft direction
Cons: A little on the bleak side, it's no escapist entertainment

Delilia is a pretty young thing who seems to think America is no more democratic than North Vietnam in the late 60s. She's wrong of course, since living in America afforded her opportunities to do lots of things that the Vietnamese would never get to do....

Pros: Interesting story line, but not great or anything we haven't seen before.
Cons: Misleading advertising on the box about the true plot.

The box says Riveting and the film never slows. I beg to disagree. The box says its all about an explosive bank
heist that is pulse pounding. Well the last half hour is just that out of a total two hours. The box also says " The year's best...

Pros: Great acting, even better music soundtrack
Cons: Movie isn't widely recognized as a great movie

Dead Presidents centers around a young care-free African-American male (Anthony played by Lorenz Tat ...

Pros: Very powerful picture that cannot be characterized as a waste of time, if found unpleasant.
Cons: The film's dark quality could be unappealing to many.

This dark and very eerie film directed by the Hughes Brothers takes place in the late sixties and chronicles the story of a young black man's life in the Bronx, troubled service in the Vietnam War and troubled situation and ultimately disastrous meltdown afterward. The first act of the film establishes characters and portrays criminal and general ghetto lifestyle. We meet the main character, his best friends and his love interest. The second act of the feature is the disturbing vision of the character's time in the war, which is done in a very unusual and particularly gruesome and perhaps more realistic manner. The third and final act concerns the bank heist, with the famous makeup. Very terrific performances all around. Notably good and serious performance by comedian Chris Tucker. The movie is great because of both its incredible aesthetic artistry, which is comparable to Scorsese, and its important messages about the Vietnam War and black culture.