Never Die Alone

When the unemployed white journalist Paul (David Arquette), who lives in a ghetto, accidentally witness the execution of the Afro-American King David (DMX), he takes the wounded man to the hospital trying to save his life. David dies, but officially leaves his car and his possessions to Paul. Paul finds some cassette tapes in the car, and while listening to them, he becomes aware that David was a hideous drug dealer.

When I decided to buy this DVD, I had no information about this movie. What a great surprise for me: it is a dark trip to the underworld of the drugs, indeed a contemporary film-noir, with sordid elements. The very dark cinematography fits perfectly to the story creating an atmosphere very adequate to the theme. The screenplay is very well written, but there are many important deleted scenes available on the DVD that explain many situations and connections of the story. DMX, David Arquette and Michael Ealy have excellent performances, but I found the character of Moon too much clichés of the powerful Afro-American drug lord. The scene of Mike leaving the tunnel in the end of the movie is another clichés that works perfectly, indicating the possible redemption of this character. "Never Die Alone" is a surprisingly good, violent and very real movie, which does not spare the characters addicted on drugs, showing the consequence of their vicious and their destiny. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nunca Morra Sozinho" ("Never Die Alone")

.....but it just misses the mark here. I have been a fan of Donald Goines novels since I was a teen. I have often wondered why so-called gangsta rappers of our generation have glorified fictional icons like Scarface (Al Pacino) when there are better real life examples of hardcore gangstas like Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim who wrote about their turbulent lifestyles in graphic, candid detail in several real-life novels. When I heard about NDA I was excited that maybe someone had finally picked up the ball. Too bad this film falls just short of the mark. It tries very hard to lock onto a theme but comes across as disjointed and rambling. DMX aka Earl Simmons produced, as well as, starred in this flick. DMX's gruff demeanor is well suited for the Donald Goines anti-heros, but he needs to work on the acting skillz a bit. A very good supporting cast of known and not-so-well known actors. All in all I would say that this film is just a small step above the flick Belly -- just a little more violent and very crude. 2 out of 5 stars.

The movie starts with King David in a casket.

Then he starts telling us about his life. He came to Los Angeles to start his life over. Two days earlier, Moon needed Mike and Blue to collect some money from him.

Something goes terribly wrong, and David is left lying in the street. Paul, a white writer with a black girlfriend (Nancy), couldn't just let him die. On the way to the hospital, David pleads with Paul to tell his son his story. Interestingly, Paul was living the life of a black man, while Nancy seemed to have rejected her culture (I'm basing this on one scene, but we never got to know her) and disapproved of his living in that world, but Paul felt he had to in order to write what he wanted.

Paul finds out from a hospital worker that David had rewarded him by leaving him everything--lots of cash, jewelry, and a nice car. And cassette tapes with his autobiography.

As Paul listens to the tapes, we see the events described. Once again, David says he is starting over in Los Angeles. In a scene with three bikini beauties, Paul meets blonde white actress Janet. She becomes the first of his girlfriends that we see. With her connections, and the fact that no one on the west coast has quality merchandise, David becomes a major drug dealer. David meets Juanita, a waitress studying to be a social worker, so Janet is tossed out like yesterday's trash. And she's not making it as an actress, so guess what she does for a living? Poor Juanita. And wait until you see what he does to Edna, who may have had his baby.

To say David is not a nice person is a major understatement. But he's so charming that women want to be his girlfriend. Then they find out what he's really like.

Why would I watch this movie? I'm white and a few months older than Barack Obama. These days, I'll watch anything I haven't seen. At least I'll get it over with. But for me personally, the movie had a few redeeming qualities.

I won't say there's music for every taste. No classical, rock, or country. But nearly every style of jazz is represented. Some examples include muted trumpet with a rap beat, muted trumpet without a rap beat, a beautiful vocal performance in a club, and piano jazz in a nice restaurant. Of course there is gangsta rap. Two rap songs played for the closing credits are actually catchy, even for me.

And then there is the bartender at The Blue Room. She has the same edgy charm that made her so appealing on an episode of My Network's "Tony Rock Project". At least I think that's her.

The crazy judge from "Boston Legal" is a funeral director, but he's on very briefly and doesn't speak. That's a shame.

DMX delivers a very good performance. Like I said, his character is not a nice man at all. And yet you sort of want to like him. You won't when you find out about him.

Some unusual camera and editing techniques should be mentioned. One act of violence is shown from the victim's point of view. We see what he sees. In the scene with Edna everything is green or blue and seems to move in slow motion. The bikini babes disappear gradually as we jump forward in time several times from David's arrival to his first conversation with Janet.

Of course I saw this on a My Network station, so the sound went out many times and the mouth of the character speaking was blurred. Something tells me I should be very glad of that. Once (I mention this because it could happen to you) the sound of dialogue went out for no apparent reason though I could hear music. The violence wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I have a feeling this was a story worth seeing.

The new movie from the freshly retired rapper DMX is like nothing else that has been out in theaters in the past six months. DMX goes back to the streets in this gritty gangster movie. You will be pleased to see him return to a role more similar to the one in his movie debut Belly. He fits perfectly into the equation of the urban gangster movie. Never Die Alone is based on the novel of the same title by Donald Goines. DMX plays King David a drug king pin that has came back home to set things strait. The movie is set in present day New York. It is told mostly in flash backs, and voice-overs which make the movie very unique.

The strong plot and acting will keep you interested through the whole movie. Another aspect, and one that is sometimes over looked is the camera work and picture. At times the picture is grainy. This may sound cheap, but it goes perfectly with the harsh and raw story. The camera angles and shots are also awesome. Small things like this can make the biggest differences in a movie. If I had four hands I'd give this movie four thumbs up.

Since truth is indeed sometimes stranger than fiction, often the movie with the most unlikely scenario is the one that turns out to be the most believable. This is the case with "Never Die Alone," an urban crime drama with a plot just loopy enough to keep us interested and just goofy enough to make us believe it.

David Arquette plays a white reporter who hangs around in a predominantly black section of the city soaking up the "atmosphere" for articles and books he hopes to write. One night, he attempts to save the life of a black drug kingpin (played by DMX) by driving the man to the hospital after he's been left for dead in a revenge killing. Immediately before his death, the man, who goes by the name "King David," bequeaths his car and other earthly possessions to this inner city Good Samaritan. Included in the haul is an assortment of tapes David recorded detailing his experiences as a successful drug pusher in LA. Thus, as Paul listens to these recordings, a full picture of the kind of man David was soon emerges.

The best thing about "Never Die Alone" is that it doesn't flinch from displaying the ugly, harsh realities of its blood-splattered world. It shows how even the innocent and the good eventually fall victim to the evils of drug addiction and crime. The film is not afraid to kill off characters in a random way, often surprising us with just who ends up dying and who ends up surviving. And it does not attempt to sugarcoat "King David," for despite all his comments about redemption and making up for the evil he's done, David is one hell of an amoral bastard who does some pretty horrible things to some truly undeserving people - and the film does not shy away from depicting that reality.

Although, on the surface, the film seems like just another in a long line of sordid crime dramas involving crack heads, dope fiends and armed-to-the-teeth ghetto gangstas, "Never Die Alone," perhaps because it is willing to hold nothing back in what it chooses to show us, has a certain ring of truth about it. Whatever the reason, "Never Die Alone" is a cut above the average.