Dangerous Ground

Yes Hurley's accent gads all over the place but that is how English South Africans sound like (I should know I'm married to one).

However the plot does meander all over the place, and with someone like Ice Cube and the general premise of the movie there should definitely be more action in it.

Roodt should take some lessons from Hood because Tsotsi delivered on the same basic message whileas Dangerous Ground just comes off as a mildly entertaining, barely passable TV movie.

While it has its good points (accurate SA visuals for the time depicted, accurate depiction of Afrikaneer thugs and black Tsotsi's) there are points where the acting needs to be taken up a notch or two. And of course the writing is so thin and predictable if it was a dress it'd be see-through.

I don't think it's as horrible as the first reviewer (mainly because I have been to Johannesburg and it DOES look that old an worn-out) but agree that the writing and acting was not up to par.

I saw this flick the other night on "Bounce TV" and the only saving grace it has is when Liz Hurley smokes crack and gets all horny for Ice Cube. Ice is a horrible actor and brings nothing to his role as a street wise thug who is intent on getting his brother out of debt to a ruthless drug lord played by the scenery-chewing actor, Ving Rhames. However, I was titillated by the appearance of the tweaked out crack head stripper, Karen, played ably and with surprising acuity by the lovely Ms. Hurley. I did not have to suspend my disbelief {much}to think that she actually may have really smoked crack and when she does she tries to get Ice into bed, but he won't because she's his brothers g/f.

I watched this on some lame cable channel that edited out certain

things, and eliminated swearing ("bulldirt?"). The only reason I

watched this was the Elizabeth Hurley credit in the beginning. She

wasn't nearly naked enough. It's admirable that the producer's

tried to make a movie with a message, but the social commentary

was undeveloped, and not very moving. I just wanted to see

Elizabeth Hurley after the first 3 minutes, and that's all I had to look

forward to, once it became apparent that this movie SUCKED! The

screenplay, and direction were laughable, and it seemed that the

writer of this thing had no idea how people speak in South Africa.

The ending showdown scene has been done to death, and was

as cliche as the rest of the film.

When South African native Vusi returns from 15 years in America he finds himself a stranger in his own home. He has come to bury his father but is asked by his mother to find his youngest brother who has gone missing in Johannesburg. Checking out an address Vusi meets one of his brothers friends Karin, and finds that his brother has stolen money from a drug dealer - creating more problems for Vusi as Muki is willing to kill to get his money back.

This starts with flashbacks to South Africa during the early 80's, where we find Ice Cube –ys, you heard me – was one of the student leaders of the uprising for change. Years later he returns, bringing with him a heavy monologue that lectures us about drugs being the new trap for the black man and how he must help the kids etc. The story itself never really gets interesting – the only interest is the possibility to learn about life in S. Africa, however even that is a bit stereotyped.

The monologue makes the film feel even heavier than it is, but when the film eventually settles in the guns n' gangstas ending that it promises it appears to have confused itself. The film lectures about making the right choice as men, about the evils of drugs – in fact Vusi makes it his mission in USA and S. Africa to help kids stay in education etc. However after all that lecturing, a happy ending only comes with murder, violence and guns – is that the films message? That drugs are bad and are a global trap for the black man and the only way to stop them is to leave education programmes and murder anyone involved in the deals? I wouldn't have seen it this way if it had just set itself out as another thriller with an African twist, but because it is message heavy until it gets guns, I feel that it wanted to have it both ways when it can't.

Ice Cube is watchable, even when he is in rubbish films, here he is OK but is really pushing the laid-back yank thing too much. His voice over is so preachy and monotonous that at times I thought he was falling asleep in the studio. Hurley looks sexy (despite working in a strip cub where no-one gets naked!) but her accent wanders all over the place – from English to African and back again. Ving Rhames plays a sort of African Marcellus Wallace – the first dialogue scene he has all we see is the back of his head……very Pulp Fiction. His accent is good but his character is nothing new.

Overall this `action' movie is dull – the interesting cast make it worth one watch but no more than that. The mix of `stay in school kids' and `just say no' is too heavy and labourious, but is made even more pointless by the film's conclusion that the best way to deal with criminals destroying an area is to get guns and kill them!

Enjoyed the film, although nothing to write home about, and actually thought Liz Hurley played her part well, although I don't like her very much.

I know a little Zulu and one scene fascinated me. It was at a funeral in the kraal of Ice Cube's family. He is supposed to be a Xhosa (ko-sa), but I swear the others were speaking in Zulu. I may be wrong, but if right, this is extremely amusing as the Zulus and Xhosas tend to start killing each other from the age of around twelve!

I wondered why, when they were supposed to be at a funeral, they seemed to be laughing, perhaps they saw the funny side. :-)

If I am right, then the producer and director ought to be shot for employing zulu actors playing Xhosa people, yet speaking Zulu.