Never Die Alone (film)

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Movie
German title Never Die Alone
Original title Never Die Alone
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2004
length 89 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Ernest R. Dickerson
script James Gibson
production Alessandro Camon
DMX
music George Duke
camera Matthew Libatique
cut Stephen Lovejoy
occupation

Never Die Alone is a thriller by Ernest R. Dickerson who tells the story of drug dealer David King in nested flashbacks.

action

The drug dealer King David ( DMX ) returns to New York after 10 years on the run to pay off his debts to the drug lord Moon (Clifton Powell) and to clean up his atrocities. During a visit to Moons Bar, King meets the unsuccessful journalist Paul ( David Arquette ).

Moon's henchmen Blue (Atwone Tanner) and Michael (Michael Early) are sent to meet King David when King wants to repay his debt. At the meeting there is an argument between King, Blue and Michael. In a rage, Michael stabs King, who then seriously injures Blue standing next to him with an ice pick. Michael and Blue escape with the help of Michael's sister Ella ( Drew Sidora ) and leave King covered in blood next to his car. Paul, who is in the bar across the street at this point, rushes to the help of the seriously injured man and drives him to the hospital. There King succumbs to his injuries.

Before his death, King Paul bequeathed his personal property. Paul gets King's car, jewelry, money and a collection of audio tapes hidden in a Bible. The tapes turn out to be King's life story. Paul listens to King David's story to write an account of his life.

King tells his story of the last 10 years up to the day of his death in 12 chapters: After David killed his ex-girlfriend Edna ( Keesha Sharp ) with contaminated heroin and relieved his then "employer" Moon by half a kilo of cocaine, he flees in search after a second chance from his hometown New York to Los Angeles. He finds a new source of drug trafficking among the local Vietnamese and meets his future girlfriend, the TV star Janet ( Jennifer Sky ). After giving cocaine addict Janet heroin instead of cocaine, David abandons her, takes advantage of her dependence on him and persuades her to work for him as a prostitute instead.

Back in the present: Michael, the seriously injured Blue and Ella flee from the scene in his car. Meanwhile, desperate Michael calls Moon, who guides him into a parking garage and assures him that his people would come over to pick them up in a clean car. In reality, Moon, furious about the sloppy and undisciplined behavior of Michael and trying to cover up any connection between him and King's murder, sends a killer squad to the parking garage to silence all witnesses. When the agreed meeting takes place in the parking garage, Michael has to watch as Blue and Ella are shot in cold blood. Michael kills the killers and goes in search of Moon to avenge his sister and friend. That night, Michael and Moon chase each other through town. In addition, word gets around that David was driven to the hospital by a white man and Moon is now starting to hunt Paul too.

Back in the past: After Janet, King meets Juanita (Reagan Gomez-Preston), a college student, in a bar. At her side, David is considering leaving the criminal business because he has fallen in love with her and wants to start a new life with her. When Juanita King makes it unmistakably clear that King is just a "little sausage" for her and that it is not a serious relationship, the offended King, driven by his broken pride, exchanges Juanita's cocaine for heroin and leaves her. King's plan works and after a few months Juanita, who is now completely addicted to heroin, returns to him because she needs new material. He agrees to help, but demands anal sex. After a while, she demands that King pay her rehabilitation - or she'll tell the police about him. Recalling his previous history in New York, where his ex-girlfriend Edna had blackmailed him with the police, King makes the same dark decision as 10 years before, takes some heroin with battery acid from his car and gives it to the desperate Juanita in full awareness that it would kill her.

Paul, on the one hand disgusted and on the other hand fascinated by King's story, unknowingly parks the car in the same parking garage in which Ella and Blue were murdered shortly before and thus gets into the crosshairs of the killers Moon set on him. At the same time, Michael, determined to do everything, pursues Moon from a theater to a brothel. While Moon is having fun with two prostitutes, some cocaine and champagne in the hot tub, Michael storms in and the two of them start an exchange of fire, in which Moon is killed and Michael is shot in the shoulder. By calling Moon's cell phone, Michael learns that the killers are following Paul and their location.

In a final flashback, it becomes clear to the viewer that Michael is Edna's and therefore King's son, which explains Michael’s attack on King, as he had to watch his mother agonize over the heroin King had drawn died.

The last tape ends with King David wanting to start a new life in New York, repay his debts to Moon and ask his son for forgiveness. Michael finds Paul at the last moment and shoots his pursuers. Paul recognizes Michael from the attack on King and tells him that King David was his father. Paul leaves King's belongings to Michael, the rightful heir, and urges him to flee and start a new life. A few days later, Paul presented his employer with a manuscript entitled Never Die Alone , in which he told the story of King David.

criticism

The film received a lot of negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film got an average rating of 4 1/10. He is described as cheesy with a boastful look at a life of substance abuse and violence. However, a number of critics have praised the acting performances. Film critic Roger Ebert awarded the film 3 ½ stars out of 4.

Economic success

The film fell far short of expectations and grossed over $ 3 million on the opening weekend. Overall, the film grossed just under $ 5.6 million.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Never Die Alone. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ^ Never Die Alone at Box Office Mojo , accessed September 15, 2011