Themes: Going Straight, Drug Addiction, Nothing Goes Right
Director: Vondie Curtis-Hall
Main Cast: Tim Roth, Tupac Shakur, Thandie Newton, Charles Fleischer, Howard Hesseman
Release Year: 1997
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
In this hard-edged drama with a strong undercurrent of dark comedy, Stretch (Tim Roth) and Spoon (Tupac Shakur) are two friends who share both a passion for music and a dependence on heroin. Stretch and Spoon play in a jazz combo with Cookie (Thandie Newton), and after a New Year's Eve gig, they score drugs and get high together. Cookie lacks her friends' experience with hard drugs and soon ends up in the hospital after a severe overdose. Cookie's brush with death turns out to be a serious reality check for Stretch and Spoon, and they decide that it's time to kick drugs and get clean and sober. But both men know that they can't get off heroin on their own, and therein lies the problem; as they try to navigate a complex maze of social service agencies (who can't help them get treatment because they aren't on welfare), drug treatment facilities (one of which turns them away because they're only equipped to handle alcoholics), and hospitals (where, in order to be admitted as emergency patients, Stretch and Spoon ponder how to go about stabbing each other) in search of a detox program. The two friends begin to wonder if it might simply be easier to stay on drugs than to get healthy. Gridlock'd marked the feature film directorial debut for actor Vondie Curtis Hall, best known for his work on the TV series Chicago Hope; Elizabeth Pena and John Sayles both appear in supporting roles. Rap musician-turned actor Tupac Shakur, who played Spoon, died in a drive-by shooting four months prior to the release of this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Vondie Curtis-Hall's corrosive film about two strung-out jazz musicians attempting to kick their heroin habit has some fascinating insights into that process but is thrown off course by its uncertain tone. Late rap idol Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth star as the musicians who decide to kick heroin after witnessing the overdose of a singer friend Thandie Newton. The director attempts to crossbreed a horrific vision of the lives of these two characters with a gallows humor about their predicament, but the dramatic scenes of suffering are so wrenching, and so well-played that laughter is often impossible. Much of the film is taken up with the characters' futile attempt to get help from various drug-treatment facilities, and their bizarre debate about whether they should stab each other in order to be admitted to a Detroit hospital drug program is a satiric high point. The surprise of the film is the charismatic performance of Shakur, who was murdered after the film was made. He and Roth have a terrific rapport, and for their work alone the film is worth seeing. But for anyone who has witnessed the ravages of heroin addiction, and the threat of violence that lurks in its shadow, the wisdom of introducing a comic note is at least debatable. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
James Pickens, Jr. - Supervisor; Ron Cummins - man in ER; Vondie Curtis-Hall - D-Reaper; Kasi Lemmons - Madonna and child; William Long, Jr. - right wing TV show host; Billie Neal - medical woman; Eric Payne - Cop #2; Rusty Schwimmer - nurse; Mik Scriba - officer 1; Tom Towles - D-Reper's Henchman; Venessia Valentino - woman in ER; John Sayles - Cop #1; Tom Wright - Koolaid; Darryl Jones - panhandler; George Poulos - Chuck; James Shanta - patrolmam; Debra Wilson - medical woman; Richmond Arquette - resident doctor; Lucy Liu - Cee-Cee; Tracy Vilar - screaming woman; Lynn Blades - Cruz, Alexia; Joey Dente - vendor; Jim O'Malley - patrolman; Debbie Zaricor - clerk; Elizabth Anne Dickinson - admissions Perons; Jasen Covine - medical sectetary; Tim Truby - man with directions; Bradley Jordan Spencer - paramedic; Rory J. Shoaf - paramadic; Roslyn McKinney - female clerk; Roderick Carr - welfare security guard; Mark Ericsom - Bill, anchor man; Tonia Rowe - womanon TV; Henry Hunter Hall - Madonna and child
Credit
Scott Plauche - Art Director, Robi Reed-Humes - Casting, Renee Reeser - Consultant/advisor, Eddee Kolos - Coordinator, Michael Bennett - Co-producer, Steven Siebert - Co-producer, Marie France - Costume Designer, Chad Rosen - First Assistant Director, T. Bird - First Assistant Director, Craig Woods - First Assistant Director, Athena Alexander - First Assistant Director, Christopher Koefoed - Editor, Ted Field - Executive Producer, Scott Kroopf - Executive Producer, Stan Lathan - Executive Producer, Russell Simmons - Executive Producer, Jack Richard Tate - Location Manager, Stewart Copeland - Composer (Music Score), Pilar McCurry - Musical Direction/Supervision, Amy Vincent - Camera Operator, Dan Bishop - Production Designer, Bill Pope - Cinematographer, Paul Webster - Producer, Erica Huggins - Producer, Damian Jones - Producer, Craig Wood - Production Sound, Frank Fleming - Recording, Brian Harman - Recording, Barbara Harris - Singer, Greg Landerer - Special Effects, Tom Bender - Special Effects, Jeff Seitz - Sound Mixer, Stephen Krause - Sound Mixer, Steve Nelson - Sound Editor, Richard E. Yawn - Sound Editor, Roland N. Thai - Sound Editor, Donald L. Warner Jr. - Sound Editor, Joseph DiVitale - Sound Editor, Julius Le Flore - Stunts Coordinator, H. Leslie Gaulden - Technical Advisor, Susie Schelling - Technical Advisor, Vondie Curtis-Hall - Screenwriter, The Angel - Additional Music, Joe Camp - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Michelle Wright - Executive in Charge of Production, Dawn Solér - Executive Music Producer, Alyson Evans - Post Production Coordinator, Lorisa D. Francis - Post Production Coordinator, Graham Stumpf - Post Production Supervisor, Dawn Todd - Production Coordinator, Dave Pomier - Production Supervisor, Greg W. Davidson - Pyrotechnic Special Effects, Chris Minkler - Re-Recording Mixer, Patrick Cycone - Re-Recording Mixer, Sydney Gilner - Script Supervisor, Sarah Auerswald - Script Supervisor, Melisa Renee Sanchez - Script Supervisor, John Michael Fanaris - Special Effects Coordinator, Blake Mariion - Special Effects Coordinator, Steven A. Adelson - Steadicam Operator, Steven D. Williams - Supervising Sound Editor, Aaron D. Weisblatt - Supervising Sound Editor, Becky Sullivan - ADR Editor, Eric Thompson - ADR Mixer, Dean St. John - ADR Mixer, Lori Martino - ADR Mixer, Joe Bosco - ADR Recordist, Andrea Reed - Casting Associate, Allyson Brown - Costumes Supervisor, Loring Spicer - Costumes Supervisor, Linda Stevenson-Khan - Key Hairstylist, Vonda Morris - Key Make-up, Ian McVey - Second Unit Assistant Director, Tony Steinberg - Second Unit Assistant Director, Kristen Toscano Messina - Set Decorator, Preston Holmes - Co-Executive Producer, Stan Lathan - Co-Executive Producer, John La Fayette - ADR Loop Group, David McCharen - ADR Loop Group, John Vargas - ADR Loop Group, Tonyo Melendez - ADR Loop Group, Marcia Del Mar - ADR Loop Group, J. Lamont Pope - ADR Loop Group, Daamen Krall - ADR Loop Group, Cheryl Tyre-Smith - ADR Loop Group, Jim Moriana - Foley Walker, Vince Nicastro - Foley Walker, Katie Rowe - Foley Walker, Cinema Research Corp. - Title Design, Dan Perri - Title Design
Co-star Tupac Shakur was one of the contributors to the soundtrack of the crime film Gridlock'd, which features "Wanted Dead or Alive," Shakur's collaboration with Snoop Doggy Dogg. The collection also features performances from the Lady of Rage, Dat Nigga Daz, Kurupt, Jay Flex and Danny Boy. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Marc Nelson (Vocals (Background)), Val Young (Performer), Oftb (Producer), Snoop Dogg (Producer), Snoop Dogg (Performer), The Lady of Rage (Performer), 2Pac (Performer), Keith Andes (Producer), Dave Aron (Engineer), Dave Aron (Mixing), Jon Gass (Mixing), Michael Geiser (Engineer), Sean "Barney" Thomas (Producer), Charlie Wilson (Performer), Scott Wolfe (Engineer), Scott Wolfe (Mixing), Brian G. (Producer), Martin Horenburg (Engineer), Dat Nigga Daz (Producer), Dat Nigga Daz (Performer), Lance Pierre (Engineer), Damon Thomas (Producer), Damon Thomas (Engineer), Damon Thomas (Mixing), Priest Brooks (Keyboards), Priest Brooks (Producer), Priest Brooks (Performer), John Jackson (Engineer), Johnny Jackson (Producer), Johnny Jackson (Engineer), Storm (Performer), Nate Dogg (Performer), Nate Dogg (Mixing), Sharlotte Gibson (Vocal Arrangement), Troy Staton (Mixing), Lisa Po-Ying Huang (Engineer), Jonathan Burtner (Guitar), L.T. Hutton (Producer), Patrick Shevelin (Assistant Engineer), Anonymous (Performer), Suge Knight (Executive Producer), Danny Ray (Performer), Pamela Hale (Mixing), Medusa (Producer), Chris Roberts (Engineer), Chris Roberts (Mixing), L.T. (Producer), Jeff McDowell (Mixing), Cody ChesnuTT (Arranger), Cody ChesnuTT (Producer), Big Tray Deee (Performer), Jewell (Vocals (Background))
Gridlock'd is a 1997 film starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, and Thandie Newton. It was the directorial debut of Vondie Curtis-Hall, who also wrote the story and screenplay. The film's opening was relatively low, despite critical acclaim for its powerful and gritty substance. Its opening weekend netted $3,603,049 and it finished finally at only $5.5 million. The film paid tribute to star Tupac Shakur who had been murdered several months before the film's release.
Set in Detroit, Heroinaddicts Spoon (Tupac Shakur) and Stretch (Tim Roth) decide to kick their habit after their best friend and bandmate, Cookie (Thandie Newton), overdoses on her first hit. Throughout a disastrous day, the two addicts dodge police and local criminals while struggling with an apathetic government bureaucracy that bars their entrance into a rehabilitation program.
Gridlock'd marked the directorial debut of actor Vondie Curtis-Hall. He wrote the screenplay in 1993 and based it on actual life experience as a junkie during the 1970s in Detroit.[1] Much like the characters in the film, Hall and a friend sought treatment for their addiction only to be told that it would take weeks to get admitted into rehab.[1] The project was originally conceived of as Hall's final film school project.[2] Polygram eventually agreed to finance it with a $5 million budget.[1]
Hall wrote the character of Spoon with Laurence Fishburne in mind but could not afford him. He had considered Tupac Shakur for the role but thought he was too young and he had just gotten out of jail.[2] Someone gave Shakur the script and after reading it said that he had to do it. Hall said that with this film, Shakur "wanted to prove that he was a good actor", and felt that he was "actually a lot like I was at the time the film was set. He wanted to sort himself out and was looking for some help".[2] He sent actor Tim Roth the screenplay while he was making Rob Roy.[1] Roth was drawn to the project because of the humor in the screenplay as he remarked in an interview, "Normally, you'd work through a screenplay and say, 'We'll have to change that and that and somehow try to make it work,' but here the dialogue was always dead-on".[3] Hall met Roth and convinced him to do the movie.[1]
Reaction
In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin praised Shakur's performance: "He played this part with an appealing mix of presence, confidence and humor".[4] Desson Howe, in his review for the Washington Post, wrote, "Shakur and Roth, who seem born for these roles, are allowed to take charge - and have fun doing it".[5]USA Today gave the film three out of four stars and felt that Hall had not "latched onto a particularly original notion of city blight. But he knows how to mine the humor in such desperation".[6]Entertainment Weekly gave the film "B" rating and Owen Gleiberman wrote, "Gridlock'd doesn't have the imaginative vision of a movie like Trainspotting, yet it's more literally true to the haphazard torpor of the junkie life than anything we've seen on screen since Drugstore Cowboy ... Curtis Hall has caught the bottom-feeder enervation of heroin addiction".[7]
