Deep Cover

Summary

“You’re a drug dealer. Deal drugs.”
When I first began collecting Blu-ray films, much of my initial reasoning for purchasing Blu-rays was due to my affection for the Criterion Collection of films. I had started collecting some of those DVD editions, and once I saw how beautiful Kubrick’s 2001 looked on Blu-ray, I knew I needed to update my collection of films – starting with all of the Criterion editions of Wes Anderson films. At that time there were still only about four hundred films in the Criterion Collection and I was an ardent collector. At the time, it felt like Criterion was the only non major distributor focusing on releasing pristine editions of non traditional films. Criterion felt edgy and interesting with their interests that ranged from highbrow (Fellini, Melville) to more popular filmmaking (Michael Bay, Paul Verhoeven.) I still love the Criterion Collection, but as other labels emerged (Arrow, Severin, Kino, Vinegar Syndrome) my attention spread out to try to focus on the types of films I love.

In the past few years, one of the things that has nagged at me about the Criterion Collection has been their abandonment of American made genre cinema of the Nineties. They have played it a little safe. They also inexplicably have refused to adopt the 4K UHD format which calls into question if a person is buying a definitive version of a film anymore when they buy a Criterion disc. Which is superior – the Criterion Do the Right Thing disc, or the new 4K UHD of Do The Right Thing? It has become a bit of a quandary for collectors like myself.
I just recapped all of that to say this – Criterion just released a film that made me feel genuinely excited – Bill Duke’s 1992 crime film Deep Cover. When I saw the announcement, I couldn’t help but feel that old thrill again and say to myself, “Criterion is back.” That is to say – Criterion genuinely surprised me and delighted me with this announcement. I relied on Criterion as an arbiter of taste initially and they consistently surprised me with their choices in their earlier years. This felt like a long gestating return to form. Focusing on a critically divisive and stylistically exceptional genre film from an African American director was totally on brand and yet so unexpected. I preordered my copy and watched the film last night. I loved it, by the way.
The film begins in Cleveland in 1972. It’s Christmas time. Russell Stevens Jr. sits in a car with his drug addicted father (Glynn Turman.) His father asks the child what he would like for Christmas. Russell doesn’t know what he wants. His father snorts a drug up his nose. He walks into a liquor store and shoots a clerk. He walks out holding money as the dying clerk stumbles out and shoots him with a shotgun. Russell sees his father die, as his father holds out some bloody cash.
Twenty Years Later – Los Angeles – Russell (Lawrence Fishburne) has become a police officer. He has never taken a drink in order to avoid becoming anything like his father. DEA Agent Carver (Charles Martin Smith) interviews Russell for a job. He asks Russell the question, “do you know the difference between a black person and a nigger?” Russell replies, “only a nigger would answer that question.” This answer lands Russell the job. Carver explains that Russell’s profile matches up with the mentality of a criminal. He can literally think like a criminal. Carver wants Russell to become low level drug dealer John Hull in order to infiltrate and work his way up the ladder to help ensnare drug importer Anton Gallegos, the nephew of a Colombian diplomat named Hector Guzman. John starts by buying from small time cocaine dealer Eddie Dudley and bringing the coke back to Carver. Carver then gives him more cash. When Eddie allows a sting operation to be performed, John is brought in by righteous Detective Taft (Clarence Williams III.) Taft sees the good within John and appeals to him to abandon his criminal ways and focus on the Lord. At John’s trial, lawyer David Jason (Jeff Goldblum) arrives and explains that he is John’s lawyer on a pro-bono basis. He gets John off the charges due to the kilo’s toxicology report coming back as baby laxative instead of cocaine. This initial meeting establishes a relationship between the drug dealing lawyer, John, and David’s client Felix Barbossa – underboss to Anton Gallegos. Anton kills Eddie in front of David and John, and John is given Eddie’s duties. As John is pulled further into the life of crime, a fine line is walked between his work duties and his criminal activity. At the same time, his relationship with David becomes a partnership and David begins to change into a hardened criminal.
I really enjoyed Deep Cover. Crime movies were a mainstay of Nineties cinema. That genre has unfortunately fallen out of favor with studios due to the abundance of police procedurals on television now (Law and Order, CSI, NCIS.) I love those types of movies and hope we will see a return to the theatrical cop film in the future. The Nineties was the golden era for those films and Deep Cover is one of the most visually distinct entries in that genre.
There are several aspects of Deep Cover that separate it out from other films in that genre. First off, the screenplay is unconventionally idiosyncratic and unique thanks to screenwriters Michael Tolkin and Henry Bean. Tolkin is the acclaimed novelist and screenwriter whose screenplay for The Player was filmed by Robert Altman. That occurred the same year that Bill Duke directed Deep Cover so it is safe to say that 1992 was the best year of his career. The writing has a great ear for dialogue that is politically charged and always interesting. The film’s racially charged language is cleverly conceived and at times thought provoking. It also can be very funny at times considering how tough it all is. I also liked the ways in which the justice system itself is put on trial in the film (fairly literally in the finale.) Deep Cover’s transformation of Jeff Goldblum’s character is not totally convincing, but it sure as hell is entertaining. The film is unlike many undercover cop films that I have seen because Bill Duke wisely allowed the more eccentric aspects of the film and the script to shine through. There is never any attempt for example to explain why a hardened cocaine dealing underboss- Felix Barbossa – would have as his closest associate an effite older man. It’s strange and unique and gives the film something extra. The script itself is not one hundred percent convincing in how quickly one character transforms, but I enjoyed the way that the film plays out as a morality play. It is not often that a film approaches material like this with such an obvious moral compass where characters struggle with decisions and their implications on who they are as people. I found it refreshing.
The performances in the film are great. Lawrence Fishburne is absolutely wonderful in the lead role. The palpable amount of disgust that Fishburne gets across in his facial expressions in the role sells completely the part. Fishburne is an interesting actor that is capable of making interesting choices. In Deep Cover, every choice that Fishburne makes is the right one. It is one of my favorite performances by the actor – possibly my favorite performance by him. Similarly, Jeff Goldblum is a blast to watch in the film. Goldblum is an enigmatic personality and he throws himself into the role with aplomb. The script gives him some wonderful lines to dig into and it seems like he had fun delivering them. Watching Fishburne and Goldblum act off of one another is a treat.
The direction by Bill Duke is superb. I was amazed to see that Bill Duke had worked with cinematographer Bolanos Bazelli to make the film essentially a neon neo-Noir. The film is painted in blues and reds all the way through. I think that the effect created makes for one of the most visually distinct crime films of that era. I love the way the film looks.The score by Michel Colombier gives the film a hip and timely sound that matches the look and era of the film. At the end of the film a titular song by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg plays. The song was the world’s introduction to rapper Snoop Dogg and was his first hit single. I think an argument could be made that this song helped to kick off the G-funk era of rap (which like every Suburbanite white kid raised in the Nineties, I love.)
At the end of the day, Deep Cover is one of my favorite films that I have watched this year. Kudos for Criterion for surprising me with this release. It’s an interesting and totally worthy film for the collection. Highly recommended.
Video
Criterion have released Deep Cover in a 1080p transfer from a brand new 4K scan. The text inside the booklet reads:
“This new digital transfer was created in 16-bit 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director scanner at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging in Burbank, California, from the 35mm A/B negative and approved by Bill Duke. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film’s DRS. The original 2.0 surround soundtrack was was remastered from the 35mm magnetic audio tracks using Avid’s Pro Tools and iZotope RX. Please be sure to enable Dolby Pro Logic decoding on your receiver to properly play the Dolby 2.0 surround soundtrack.”
I was floored by the phenomenal visuals of the movie. Bill Duke worked with cinematographer Bojan Bazelli to create an almost technicolor underworld. From the opening sequence in snow covered Cleveland to the finale of the picture, Deep Cover is a visual feast. The new 4K scan from Criterion is beautiful. Clarity and fine detail are exceptional. Unless we ever receive a true 4K UHD release with HDR, this will be the definitive visual presentation of the film. It’s
Audio
Deep Cover is presented in its original DTS-HD MA 2.0 surround format. I liked the sound design of the film and on speakers it opened up pretty well. Like most 2.0 tracks, immersion is limited somewhat, but I really enjoyed how this track sounded overall.
Supplements:
Bill Duke – in this exclusive new interview, Bill Duke gives a nice walkthrough of his directorial and acting career by highlighting important roles before discussing working on Deep Cover. Duke is an extremely intelligent and literate man and it was enjoyable to hear him rhapsodize about his long career.
Laurence Fishburne and Bill Duke – Laurence Fishburne and Bill Duke talk with critic Elvis Mitchell in this filmed discussion of Deep Cover that was held at the American Film Institute Conservatory in 2018. This piece runs about an hour and will please fans of the film.
Racquel J. Gates and Michael B. Gillespie – film scholars Racquel J. Gates and Michael B. Gillespie discuss Deep Cover.
Claudrena N. Harold and Oliver Wang – author Claudrena N. Harold and sociology professor Oliver Wang discuss the importance of Deep Cover’s title song.
Trailer
Overall Scores:
Video – 5/5
Audio – 5/5
Supplements – 4/5
Overall – 5/5
Deep Cover is an absolute joy to watch in the Criterion Collection’s new Blu-ray presentation. The film is extremely stylish and features excellent performances by both Jeff Goldblum and Laurence Fishburne. While the script is not totally convincing in some aspects, it is still a fantastic story with wonderful dialogue. The direction by Bill Duke is sublime. Kudos to Criterion for surprising me with their release of this genre film. I loved it. Highly recommended.