Paid in Full

I was scanning through the channels one night and stopped on this film. Man, was I glad. It's nice to see the filmmakers trust the audience and their film by not cluttering up scenes with music. The silence was golden. Great direction, great acting and great music! I could tell this was based on a true story. It was so edgy and gritty it could not have been made up. The hardest part of making a true story work is keeping it real, they did that. I recognized all the actors, some one needs to hire Cam'ron he was great. I don't think you can compare this with New Jack City, I liked New Jack City but it was allot softer the Paid In Full. I could feel the tension in some of the scenes, it was powerful. I might buy this one.

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

The long list of dramas we've had involving violence and drugs. 'Boyz in the Hood', 'Menace to Society' among others and in the mix was 'Paid in Full' years later that I hadn't seen until now. Three different young men in 80's Harlem selling cocaine. The story feels authentic, but is very predictable.

That it's loosely based on real people doesn't matter. The highs and lows, the rise and fall. People dying. It's well worn territory. You watch interactions with characters who you know are going to become a problem so it's with no shock when they later do. Watch enough of these movies and they all start to blend together after a while.

Wood Harris's character Ace is a contradiction. He tries to stay away initially but gets sucked in by the money. Wants to be smart. Doesn't want to be all flash, high profile yet still wears expensive clothing and drives around in high-end cars. Mekhi Phifer's Mitch is all about being popular, but he has great charisma. Very likable especially when showing care for his younger brother's well being. Cam'ron as Rico feels real, but you know what type of dude he is the moment you meet him. A loud mouth with more balls than brains with suspect loyalty who's gonna meet one of two fates.

'Paid in Full' is well acted and stays grounded. It doesn't go over the top, but it has no edge, nothing to really set it apart. It's attempt at trying to end on a relatively positive note after all the sadness and tragedy left a bitter taste in my mouth. It's a betrayal to everything that happened.

If I had realized that this was a gangster/hip-hop generation flick before I purchased it on pay-per-view, I would have never watched it. But I gave it a chance in an attempt to not waste my money. It was really well done. The acting was believable and in depth and the movie was superbly casted. It kept my attention, kept me involved and was narrated by a character that was likeable and credible. Well-done.