‘Caught Up’ In A Cat-And-Mouse Game

Fri., Feb. 27, 1998

Chris Vognar The Dallas Morning News

It’s hard to squeeze much fresh blood out of film noir, but “Caught Up” manages to come off as a weird, colorful addition to the genre. It also comes off as uneven and occasionally cliched, but, hey, you take the wheat with the chaff.

Like Ernest Dickerson’s “Tales From the ‘Hood,” “Caught Up” takes a well-worn set of ideas and fuses it with the ‘hood genre prevalent in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

“Caught Up’s” traditional noir chump is Daryl Allen (Bokeem Woodbine), a two-time felon trying to go straight after doing five years for his reluctant part in a bank robbery. Jobless, directionless, he falls for a shady fortuneteller (Cynda Williams) and ends up, well, caught up in a violent, circuitous cat-and-mouse game involving diamonds, murder, sex and, in the words of the press materials, “a surreal world of Rastafarian warlords.”

Williams is the real gem of “Caught Up”; sexy, enigmatic and dangerous, she’s a Barbara Stanwyck for the hip-hop ‘90s. As in 1991’s “One False Move,” she has a way of filling up the screen and making us nervous whenever she appears. High-profile parts continue to elude her, but she should be recognized as one of the best screen actresses around.

Woodbine (Jason’s Lyric) has his moments as well, particularly as he realizes he’s been played for the fool in a topsy-turvy scheme.

Unfortunately, he also gets some of the film’s worst dialogue. “Nobody was waiting for me but a dude named destiny,” Daryl says on his way out of prison. “So I walked off to meet him.” Youch.

The film has a gallows sense of humor that crops up when you least expect it. Writer-director Darrin Scott, who wrote and produced “Tales From the ‘Hood,” does a better job with set pieces and bit characters than he does holding the story together - the resolution feels tacked on, and a couple of plot detours are extraneous. But “Caught Up’s” combination of the familiar and perversely fresh is enough to keep you guessing.

xxxx “Caught Up” Location: North Division Credits: Directed by Darrin Scott, starring Bokeem Woodbine, Cynda Williams Running time: 1:35 Rating: R

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