Bait (2000)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In the course of a massive robbery, psycho Bristol (Doug Hutchison) murders two prisoners and partner Jaster (Robert Pastorelli) abandons him, only to be caught, having stashed the loot. When Jaster dies in custody, Treasury agent Clenteen (David Morse) presses his cellmate Alvin (Jamie Foxx) into being unwitting bait to snare Bristol.This is a perfectly serviceable plot. So is the wrinkle about Alvin discovering he has become a father while he was in prison, and resolving to get a job and become responsible. The balance between gritty action and humour is a little uneasy and makes the film feel as if it doesn't really know what it wants to be.But the big fault lies with two of the characters. Most are absolutely fine, but David Morse's Lenteen has no humanity and is unlikeable, and Foxx's Alvin is so irritating that you want to smack his head together. Yes, I know.

I have to agree with most of the other posts. Was it a comedy? a drama? to me it leaned a little to much towards the comedy side. I could have been a great movie without the comedy and it was horribly contrived. Jamie keeps running into the Julio and whats his name. In New York, how many times do you run into someone you know in downtown Cleveland.And just how could Robert Pastorelli dig up Yankee Stadium to hide the gold. Again, a comedy or drama? But it was still entertaining especially for a Sunday morning. I enjoyed Kimberly Elise's performance, she certainly a beautiful actress and seems to take her craft seriously. She is a younger actress that is going to be viable.

I tuned into "Bait" one night on cable when I had nothing better to do, and was quite glad I did. Some have called this film a poor impersonation of "Enemy of the State," but the cast from this movie is actually superior to that cast.Jamie Foxx plays Alvin Sanders, a typical New York City hustler type who runs afoul of the law without being violent. His main game is to steal large quantities of prawns (expensive shrimp) and sell them on the black market. He winds up busted by a guard dog and sent to prison, and that's where his troubles begin.Alvin's cellmate turns out to be "Jasper," who dies of a heart attack during questioning about the heist of $42 million in gold from the US Treasury, in which a Treasury agent is murdered (otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to the trouble to catch him). Before he dies, Jasper confides in Alvin (in code) where the gold is, and the T-men realize that he can be used as "bait" to flush out the superhacker who thinks that he knows where the gold is.Alvin is clueless as to what's going on, but slowly comes to realize during the film that the killer wants him dead, and the government doesn't care if he dies in order for them to catch the Killer. To that extent, the movie uses the formula that "The Firm" did so well years earlier. Foxx's comedic talents greatly enhance his performance, and show once again (as John Candy did in "Cool Runnings") that the proper use for a comedian in a major motion picture is to use his talent to add depth to a dramatic role.Jamie Foxx has won an Oscar for "Ray" since this movie came out, and is now on the A-list. David Morse went on to star in "Hack" on television and has impressive credentials all his own. The supporting cast is solid and you'll recognize most of them from their other work (such as Robert Pastorelli of Murphy Brown playing Jasper, or David Paymer, who also was good in "Joe And Max" on Showtime).When a "bad" movie takes itself too seriously, and pretends it's a good movie, it can be insufferable. Fortunately for the viewer, this movie takes itself seriously because it really is a good movie, well-acted, and with a cast that makes the most out of what it was given. Sure, the movie could have been better, but not by as much as one might think if they haven't seen it.The only thing I didn't like about the movie was Kimberly Elise as the stereotypical "together" single black mother who looks down on the very type of man she rushed into bed with to have her child.

Now, some people say this is just your standard genuine popcorn movie- and they're right. There is no big surprise, no overly brilliant acting, no twisted story, no well known producer (you all know who I'm talking about..)..But it's a very well made, nice to see movie. Acting is good. Or better, it's like it should be in any movie. Photography seems sometimes a little bit careless, but it's OK- it does the trick. Directing is well done.To get to this conclusion, I compared that flick to Last Boy Scout, because it's basically almost the same background. And I have to say: while LBS is supported by the acting of Bruce Willis, this movie is founded on the acting of each actor. They all do well, the evil guy is convincingly evil (flat character maybe, but hey- it's a popcorn flick, don't forget!), the effects are pleasing, the story is neat, and the director does his best to put all of this on the screen so you can enjoy the picture.What do you want more? A bag of popcorn.