Paid in Full

Finally a good gang movie, I've see a lot of them lately and thy all more or less suck, but this one was real real good.

Properly because it was based on a true story, that always makes a good movie. And Mekhi Phifer is or some in this movie, one scene was so so good, man he is becoming a great actor if you ask me :)

I saw this one a while back in the end of 2001, and I was very interested as it was the true story of the drug game in the mid eighties. This movie is actually AZ's side of the story(AZ is Ace played by Wood Harris[Above The Rim, Remember The Titans, The wire]). well, it tells the story of drug kingpins AZ(Ace), Rich Porter(Mitch)and Alberto "Alpo" Martinez(Rico). Cam'ron really displays some actin' skills in his part as the trigger-happy, O-Dog reminiscent Rico("alpo"), Wood Harris gives a very different performance from his previous roles in Above The Rim and The Wire as the laid back Ace. but this one belonged to Mekhi Phifer(8-Mile, Clockers) as Mitch(Rich Porter) he really came out and busted out Rich to a "T"! the certain flare that was necessary was there... And havin' DJ Brucie B all in the movie really put the icing on the cake for a rugged street feel, VERY Authentic...

underrated movie - this needs to be seen

10/10

This is based on a true story set In the 80's, in Harlem. It follows an Afro-American worker of a laundromat, called Ace, who is seduced by the easy money of his friend Mitch and when Mitch is arrested, he becomes a drug lord. Later, her joins Mitch and his new-friend Rico as his right arms, ruling the neighborhood. His kingdom is destroyed one year later, after successive betrayals.

I liked this .

It's not a story we haven't seen before 2002 or after but what makes this really good is the acting .

Thanks to that acting done of this cast went on to star in The Wire , one of the best TV shows ever made .

Wood Harris is the stand out actor .

He's incredibly impressive and you have to wonder why he's career hasn't really taken off since , although he has appeared in some big films .

This movie pulls no punches . The characters on show will do anything for money , including betraying , kidnapping and murder and you don't at any stage have much sympathy for those who carry out the crimes . It's the families that inevitably suffer .

In the 80's, in Harlem, the simple Afro-American worker of a laundry, Ace (Wood Harris), is seduced by the easy money of his friend Mitch (Mekhi Phifer) and when Mitch is arrested, he becomes a drug lord. Later, he joins Mitch and his new-friend Rico (Cam'ron) as his right arms, ruling the neighborhood. His kingdom is destroyed one year later, after successive betrayals.

Based on a true story, I found the first part of "Paid in Full", showing the powerful and wealthy drug dealers' lifestyle, an apology to crime. However, the strong plot point really destroys this image, and shows how short are the empire and power of these nasty criminals. Most of their friends and women are bought by their money, and in the end they are only a part in the wheels of crime. Here in Brazil, we have the same situation in the slums: one day, a drug lord dies, on the next day there is another one in his spot. The cast has great performances and the direction of Charles Stone III is amazingly real. "Paid in Full" is highly recommended for fans of films of gangs. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Ouro Branco" ("White Gold")

Note: On 27 October 2022, I saw this film again.

I am glad that there is a movie based on the lives of legendary Harlem kingpins Alpo, AZ and Rich Porter coming out. I saw this movie and it really went back to the old school w/ music from Rakim("Paid In Full" which is the theme of the movie). It shows the ups and downs of the drug game and is focused mainly on AZ(David Sherwin(Wood) Harris). The surprise came from rapper Cam'ron as Alpo(but is called Rico). I don't want to give it away but for those people who checked the street documentary, "Game Over" would really understand this movie as well as those who knew AZ, Rich and Alpo personally and those who know the legacy of these hustlers.

It gets a 9 from me, I loved it