Themes: Rise and Fall Stories, Faltering Friendships, Dishonor Among Thieves
Main Cast: Wood Harris, Mekhi Phifer, Kevin Carroll, Esai Morales, Chi McBride
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Paid in Full marks the feature debut of director Charles Stone III, who rose to fame after creating Budweiser's "Wassup" commercials. The urban gangster drama is loosely based on the true story of 1980s Harlem drug kingpins AZ, Rich Porter, and Alpo. (This story was also the basis for a documentary, Game Over (Part 1).) Ace (Wood Harris) works at a laundromat, struggling to get by, while his friend Mitch (Mekhi Phifer) lives the high life selling heroin. His sister's boyfriend, Calvin (Kevin Carroll) also sells drugs, and looks down on Ace for struggling to earn a living. Out delivering laundry one day, Ace meets Lulu (Esai Morales), a big time coke dealer, who lives better than anyone Ace has ever known. When Lulu leaves some coke in the pocket of a coat he's having cleaned, Ace returns it to him, and Lulu rewards him for his honesty by letting him keep the drugs. When Calvin gets busted, Ace hesitantly takes his place in the neighborhood, and starts working for Lulu. As the crack business takes off, Ace finds himself making more money than he knows what to do with. Mitch goes to jail for a short time, where another inmate, Rico (rapper Cam'ron in his acting debut), defends him in a fight. By the time Mitch gets out of prison, Ace is running the neighborhood. Ace makes Mitch his right-hand man, and when Rico gets out of jail, he joins the crew. The drugs and money flow, and Ace tries to keep everyone happy, but there are some who want what's his, and will stop at nothing to get it. Paid in Full was shown at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Review
Commercial director Charles Stone III makes an impressive feature debut with Paid in Full. The film is based on a true story of three friends who rose to power as crack dealers in Harlem in the 1980s, only to have their lives shattered by betrayal and violence. Stone tells this violent urban tale with economy and grace. Wood Harris (Remember the Titans) as the levelheaded Ace, Mekhi Phifer (Soul Food) as his loyal friend, Mitch, and rapper Cam'ron, making his acting debut as the volatile Rico, deliver very solid performances, allowing Stone to root the materialism and brutal violence and of the film in strong, compelling characters. There's a surprising warmth to the film, as when Ace's girlfriend (Mitch's sister) calls the practical and decidedly un-flashy crack dealer "boring," then softens the blow by telling him, "I'm with you because I'm boring, too." Stone also handles the violence in the film well, by not diluting its impact. At one point, the film asserts the impact of Brian DePalma's Scarface on the lives of these drug dealers, and in the end the story comes full circle by showing how the flashy lifestyles of these tragic characters has influenced contemporary entertainment. The film doesn't convey a specific sense of time and place as well as it might have, but the fine performances, the strong characters, the appropriately gritty treatment of the subject matter, and the trenchant thematic undertones of Paid in Full make it an exceptional crime drama. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
