Review of Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) by Van R — 07 Nov 2010

Hollywood movie producer Joel Silver knows a thing or two about making white-knuckled, adrenalin-laced, edge-of-the-seat action thrillers. Call it the Silver formula. Typically, two hardbodied heroes mismatched from the get-go fight a heinous, larger-than-life hoodlum with an army of heavyweight henchmen in a high stakes battle of life and death. The Silver formula features sexy, hot-bloodied sirens; abducted adolescent girls, and bleeding-edge, high-tech hardware. Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte started the ebony & ivory pairing of protagonists in the earliest Silver-produced epic "48 HRS" (1982). Later, Silver teamed up Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the "Lethal Weapon" series as well as Lawrence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves for "The Matrix" trilogy. Abducted adolescent girls figure prominently in Silver hits like "Commando" (1985), "The Last Boy Scout" (1991), and "Swordfish" (2001). Like Jerry Bruckheimer of "Armageddon" fame and the James Bond producers, Silver has concocted his own sure-fire formula for implausible but entertaining actioneers and turned it into a lowbrow art form. The latest saga with the Silver lining "Cradle 2 The Grave" (*** out of ****) exemplifies the formula in virtually every respect. Hong Kong martial arts star Jet Li teams up with rapper-actor DMX in a hip-hop, heist shoot'em-up about stolen black diamonds, a kidnapped 9-year old, and a new sample of wild, way-out weaponry. Although it easily tops "Romeo Must Die," the slickly-produced and efficiently directed "Cradle 2 The Grave" doesn't boast the action quota of previous American-made Jet Li flicks such as "Kiss of the Dragon" and "The One." Nevertheless, "C2TG" consistently delivers action, action, action with enough twists and turns to make things interesting. Furthermore, a frantic chase with DMX on a 4-wheeler rivals the Matt Damon chase in an Austin-Mini in "The Bourne Identity." Meanwhile, Jet Li displays a different style of fighting and brings a harder edge to his good guy character.

"C2TG" opens with a suspenseful high-tech jewel robbery. Tony Fait (Earl Simmons, a.k.a Dark Man X of "Belly") and his ice-cool heist crew: Tommy (Anthony Anderson of "Barbershop"), Miles (Drag-On of "Exit Wounds"), and ex-stripper martial artist Daria (Gabrielle Union of "Deliver Us From Eva") steal 50 black diamonds. Not only are these exotic diamonds (resembling a cross-between of lug nuts and aspirin) extremely rare, but also their size belies their extraordinary value. During the heist, Fait gets a call on his cell. Taiwanese Intelligence Officer Su (Jet Li of "Rome Must Die") informs Fait that he has alerted the authorities and they are scrambling to bust him. Fait and company effect a tense, hair- raising escape that involves riding atop a subway train. After his buyer turns up murdered, Fait consults his friendly neighborhood fence Archie (Tom Arnold of "True Lies") about his haul. Archie owns a military surplus store with an arsenal of combat equipment, including a tank. A former Taiwanese secret agent-turned-crime boss Ling (Mark Dacascos of "Brotherhood of the Wolf") wants the diamonds, so he kidnaps Fait's precocious 9-year old daughter Vanessa (newcomer Paige Hurd) and holds her for ransom. Su reveals that the diamonds belong to Taiwan. Reluctantly, Fait teams up with Su rescue Vanessa and recover the gems.

Nothing particularly surprising occurs in "C2TG," but Polish-born director Andrzej Bartkowiak of "Exit Wounds" pulls out all stops to make the action look spectacular. DMX jacks a 4- wheeler and takes the police on a careening chase that turns into a demolition derby. This exciting pursuit scene is alone worth of price of admission. After DMX loses the cops, he rides the 4-wheeler across rooftops, leaping from one rooftop to the next! Bartkowiak and his writers emphasize plot over character. Nothing extraneous cramps the action in "C2TG." Jet Li and DMX compliment each other in their dialogue scenes as well as their action scenes. Nevertheless, Li outshines DMX. Early in "C2TG," agent Su breaks into an apartment by dropping bodily from one balcony to the next, grabbing each with his hands. Jet Li also demonstrates a new style of kung fu. He kicks butt with brazen nonchalance while keeping one hand stuck in his pocket. Although the Jet Li protagonist is a good guy, he looks dangerous and behaves like the bad guy he played in "Lethal Weapon IV." Bartkowiak relies on the antics of comedian Anthony Anderson and Tom Arnold to offset some of the more unsavory scenes in this R-rated melodrama.

Predictable as it is, "Cradle 2 The Grave" nevertheless delivers everything a good solid crime thriller should. Die-hard Jet Li fans may quibble about the ensemble material, but "C2TG" gives Li a chance to change his fighting style and heroic character.