Never Die Alone (2004)

Sorry, this movie sucks

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

"King" David(DMX, who's... a better rapper than he is an actor; in general, the performances are "fine" or worse), a charming scumbag(who does genuinely possess both qualities), returns to pay his debts to Moon, the dealer he screwed over, among others(and to narrate this entire thing, as his exploits in LA are shown in flashback). Only it's too late. He's done too much to just "make amends", and he doesn't realize in time. His return sparks a series of events involving both of the aforementioned, and Mike, who works for the latter and is very protective of his sister. You can somewhat figure out a number of the places this story of revenge and karma goes, but at least it does take itself seriously, keeping to the bleak tone throughout. The environment is brutal and unflinching. There's essentially no likable characters in this, just degrees of despicable. That's intentional, it's part of the approach, but it does make it a straining viewing experience. At least it does keep to a nice pace and it gets going immediately. It's pretty tense and exciting. This is largely realistic and psychologically credible. The hand-held cinematography is quite good(and immersive), if the occasional 90 degree angle turn is off-putting. There is a lot of graphic, bloody violence, disturbing content, strong language and direct sexuality in this. The DVD comes with an informational and interesting commentary track(with the star, director and screenwriter), 10 minutes of "meh" deleted scenes, a 5 and a half minute decent making of featurette, trailers for Inkasso, Saw, Paparazzi, The Machinist, Af Banen, Hotel Rwanda, Merchant of Venice, A Home at the end of the World and this. I recommend this to fans of gruesome ghetto dramas. 6/10

I read the novel before I saw the movie, and I loved the novel. I saw the movie and I loved the movie. The person who commented before me was "sickened" by the movie and gangster rap culture. A large part of understanding this movie is knowing that this was a novel all based on true events. These events are a harsh reality. The concept of this movie was not thought up by rappers, Hollywood, or whatever. This movie was based on a novel written by the late Don Goines in the 60's / 70's and based on true events. This movie, although straying from the original ideas of the book, is a representation of harsh reality. Having read the novel, I understand this very well. It's also important to keep in mind that Don Goines wrote his novels in prison and spent much of his life as a drug addict. He was murdered in 1977.

At first glance of the film's movie poster, many viewers, before seeing Ernest Dickerson's Never Die Alone (2004), will assume it is an action picture like Scarface (1983) and New Jack City (1991). This isn't an action picture, but a drama, although it does deserve comparison to the latter movies.Never Die Alone is the story of a viscous, cold blooded, and evil man known as King David. As the movie opens, King David (DMX) is laying dead in a coffin. Many will see this as a spoiler, but it isn't. This movie isn't about the events that occur, but about the story and the characters.As the film opens, King David has returned from Los Angeles to New York to repay a debt to a drug dealer known as Moon (Clifton Powell). Moon sends his boy, Mike (Michael Ealy), and another man to collect the money.But then the pickup turns violent against Moon's request, and King David ends up getting stabbed in the process. He is helped by Paul (David Arquette), an earnest journalist who hangs around in the tough streets of Harlem. Paul comes to the aid of David, and, of course, King David dies.Upon his death, King David gives Paul a nice car, money, jewelry, and eventually, Paul finds a collection of audiotapes chronicling the last ten years of David's life.We learn that King David was a ladies' man. The women in his life were all drug users. But what King David does to these three women is monstrous: he falls in love with them, gets to know them, then hooks them on cocaine. Then he switches them to heroin without them knowing. What's monstrous is when he decides to give them a little "test." DMX, as King David, is hard and cold. Just as we begin to care and show sympathy for King David, we begin to show hatred towards this vile, and evil man. Through flashbacks and events, we realize that King David is a man who shows no apologies for the evil things he's done, and he makes them look like an everyday activity.The film also seems to suggest that there is some sort of connection between both Mike and King David.DMX has done some terrible films in the past, such as Romeo Must Die (2000), Exit Wounds (2001), and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), which were all mindless action pictures meant to entertain, but in Never Die Alone, he gives his best performance up to date.Never Die Alone is a good movie, but I felt that David Arquette's character was poorly developed, but he gives a good performance, anyway. In the end we never know whether he has shown remorse for King David or felt that he deserved to die for what he's done. But Paul is more of a pawn than a mover to the plot. Half the time, he doesn't realize how much danger he's putting his life in, such as when he drives around in King David's car.Cinematographer-turned-director Ernest Dickerson creates a dark atmosphere and he keeps the film dark to the very end. He keeps the action scenes brief and brutal, and it doesn't distract the viewer away from the plot. This is his strongest work.Never Die Alone is not an action picture. It's a movie about an evil man, who shows no apologies for the evil things he's done to others. By the end, the movie asks Paul, the journalist, and even the viewer, do you think King David really deserved to die?

When the unemployed white journalist Paul (David Arquette), who lives in a ghetto, accidentally witness the execution of the Afro-American King David (DMX), he takes the wounded man to the hospital trying to save his life. David dies, but officially leaves his car and his possessions to Paul. Paul finds some cassette tapes in the car, and while listening to them, he becomes aware that David was a hideous drug dealer.When I decided to buy this DVD, I had no information about this movie. What a great surprise for me: it is a dark trip to the underworld of the drugs, indeed a contemporary film-noir, with sordid elements. The very dark cinematography fits perfectly to the story creating an atmosphere very adequate to the theme. The screenplay is very well written, but there are many important deleted scenes available on the DVD that explain many situations and connections of the story. DMX, David Arquette and Michael Ealy have excellent performances, but I found the character of Moon too much clichés of the powerful Afro-American drug lord. The scene of Mike leaving the tunnel in the end of the movie is another clichés that works perfectly, indicating the possible redemption of this character. "Never Die Alone" is a surprisingly good, violent and very real movie, which does not spare the characters addicted on drugs, showing the consequence of their vicious and their destiny. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Nunca Morra Sozinho" ("Never Die Alone")