Themes: Hired Killers, Crisis of Conscience, Mothers and Sons
Main Cast: Cuba Gooding, Jr., Helen Mirren, Vanessa Ferlito, Macy Gray, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Release Year: 2005
Country: US
Run Time: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A late-career change of heart leads to a dangerous life on the run for two seasoned assassins whose complex relationship masks a dark past in director Lee Daniels' pulpy film noir. When Mickey (Cuba Gooding Jr.) was just a child, his abusive father savagely murdered the young boy's mother shortly before being gunned down by Rose (Helen Mirren), Mickey's stepmother. Twenty years later, Mickey and Rose are not only working together as hired killers, but they have grown to become lovers as well. When Rose discovers she is dying of terminal cancer and becomes addicted to morphine, her conscience soon prompts her to reevaluate her murderous ways. Assigned the task of taking out Vickie (Vanessa Ferlito), the wife of local crime boss Clayton (Stephen Dorff), Mickey and Rose are unable to complete their mission upon discovering that Vickie is pregnant. With the tragedy of the past threatening to lock Mickey, Rose, and their reluctant charge into a tragic cycle of death and deceit, the reluctant killers attempt to make amends for their violent past by protecting Vickie's unborn child and allowing Rose one last chance at redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Tim Galvin - Art Director, Thomas Fatone - Associate Producer, Chase Lensfest - Associate Producer, Doreen S. Oliver-Akinnuoye - Associate Producer, Kerry Barden - Casting, Billy Hopkins - Casting, Suzanne Smith - Casting, Leah Daniels-Butler - Casting, Andrew Sforzini - Consultant/advisor, Valerie Hoffman - Co-producer, Simone Sheffield - Co-producer, Teresa Binder Westby - Costume Designer, Thomas Fatone - First Assistant Director, Lee Daniels - Director, James Guerriero - Second Unit Director, Rob L. Tyler - Second Unit Director, William Chang - Editor, Brian A. Kates - Editor, William Chang Suk-Ping - Editor, Tucker Tooley - Executive Producer, Dawn Lenfest - Executive Producer, Mario Grigorov - Composer (Music Score), A.J. Azzarto - Musical Direction/Supervision, Steve Saklad - Production Designer, M. David Mullen - Cinematographer, Damon Dash - Producer, Lee Daniels - Producer, David C. Robinson - Producer, Brook Lenfest - Producer, Lisa Cortes - Producer, Blake Leyh - Sound/Sound Designer, Thomas G. Varga - Sound/Sound Designer, Lee Daniels - Screenwriter, William Lipz - Screenwriter, Richard Rutkowski - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Douglas Pellegrino - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Benjamin Cheah - Supervising Sound Editor, Chryss Hionis - Set Decorator, Sharon Pinkenson - Co-Executive Producer, Marvet Britto - Co-Executive Producer, Kareem 'Biggs' Burke - Co-Executive Producer
Mikey (Gooding) and his stepmother Rose (Mirren) are lovers and contract killers. They are hired by Mafia kingpin Clayton (Stephen Dorff) to kill his pregnant wife Vickie (Vanessa Ferlito) and several of his mob associates. Rose and Mikey enter Vickie's bedroom, but just as Rose is about to carry out the contract on Vickie, the pregnant woman goes into labor. Rose switches to the role of midwife, and over Mikey's objections, insists that they take Vickie and her infant son to a safe place. The four end up in Philadelphia, where Mikey continues to struggle with the dual responsibilities of being an assassin for hire, and surrogate father figure.
Dorff appears in a full-frontal nude scene in which he is engaged in rough sex when distracted by voices in the next room. The unclothed Clayton opens the door to the room and shoots an unnamed women and her associate who are owed money. He even shoots his bodyguard in the foot.
Rose is diagnosed with cancer; at the baby's first birthday party, she decides that she would rather die at her happiest point than suffer. She has Mikey take her to nearby woods and convinces him to have sex with her and shoot her as she reaches orgasm. Before she dies, Rose makes Mikey promise to take care of Vickie and the baby and do whatever Vickie asks of him.
Mikey, Vickie and the child, Anthony, live safely until the boy turns around age 10, and Clayton finds out that his wife and child are alive. After being captured and tortured (Clayton cuts off the tip on one of Mikey's fingers), Mikey fights back and defeats Clayton's goons. Clayton overpowers Mikey and is about to kill him when he's gunned down by his own son.
Mikey, Vickie, and Anthony drive off down the road, while Mikey cautions the child to watch out for people like him; the boy responds, "And we'll kill them."
