Never Die Alone (2004)

This movie would be a force to be reckoned with if it had an actor in the lead role. It's certainly well-directed, and there's a queasy film-geek fascination in the progression of this particular story -- it's as if Citizen Kane and New Jack City were engaged in unlawful congress in front of a television playing Ministry's 'Just One Fix' video. All it needs to hold it together is a magnetic personality in the crucial role of King David... so who the fuck approved the casting of DMX? I respect the fact that he's trying to break into a new field, and I also respect that fact that he's trying to tackle something a little more ambitious than, say, All About the Benjamins. But the fact remains that DMX doesn't have the skills. He gets blown off the screen by Jennifer Sky here. Think about that: Ms. Sky is best known for playing the lead in the short-lived cheese-factor show "Cleopatra 2525", and her role in this film is maybe ten minutes long with no more than three lines of dialogue. And she still schools the ostensible star. Ouch.

Grade: C