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Cinematic Pleasures: Gridlock'd

by j.d. lafrance

"This is gonna be a fucking nightmare day, I can just feel it." These rather prophetic words are spoken by Stretch (Tim Roth) as he and his best friend, Spoon (Tupac Shakur) start the day trying to kick their drug habit in the film Gridlock'd (1997). But it's not going to be that easy as the duo run into bureaucratic red tape at every turn.

The film begins on New Year's Eve as Spoon's girlfriend, Cookie (Thandie Newton) overdoses on heroin. This intimate brush with death forces Spoon to face his own mortality. "Do you ever feel like your luck's run out, man? Lately, I've been feeling like my luck's been running out." These lines take on a rather eerie significance when you realize that Shakur was killed shortly after this film finished shooting.

And so, the two struggling musicians make a New Year's resolution: to go into rehab and get off drugs for good. The only problem is that not only are they constantly given the runaround, hassled, and turned away by government workers, but an evil and very persistent drug dealer (Curtis Hall) and his henchman are also pursuing them.

Now, this may sound like the makings of a moralistic film, but Gridlock'd refuses to fall into this trap. Instead, it comes across as a very stylish social satire-a strong indictment against the US health care system and their welfare programs. The ultimate irony is that Stretch and Spoon want to do the right thing but their attempts are constantly thwarted at every turn by overburdened social workers that are too burnt out to care.

Gridlock'd marks the directorial debut of Vondie Curtis Hall, an actor by trade who has appeared in such films as Die Hard 2 (1990), Broken Arrow (1996), and in a regular spot on TV's Chicago Hope. Hall wrote the screenplay for Gridlock'd in 1993 and based it on his actual experience with drug addiction in the 1970s. "Heroin is the drug of the '90s. But it was also the drug of the '70s, when I was doing it." Much like the two main characters in his film, Hall and a friend sought treatment for their addiction only to be told that it would take weeks for them to get admitted into a program.

But Hall kicked the habit, paid his dues an actor, and cashed in some favours to get this personal project off the ground. Hall sent the script for Gridlock'd to actor Tim Roth while he was working on Rob Roy (1995). Initially, Roth was not interested in doing the film but Hall met and convinced him to do it. For Roth, it was the script that attracted him to the movie. "Normally you'd work through a screenplay and say, 'We'll have to change that and that and somehow try to make it work', but here the dialogue was always dead-on." And with Roth on board, Hall auditioned actor/rapper Tupac Shakur who really wanted to do the film. Shakur made the cut and one of the most important aspects of the film had been established.

Gridlock'd's strength lies in its two leads. The interaction between Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur is excellent. For example, there is a scene where the two men sit at the bedside of their unconscious friend and Shakur delivers a heartfelt speech where he decides to stop doing drugs. It is an emotional moment as Shakur looks over at Roth who says nothing-he gives Shakur a little smile. It is an action that says a lot more about their friendship than any words could.

The visuals in Gridlock'd are also worth mentioning. The film's camerawork is very stylish but never overwhelms or obscures the story or its characters. Instead, the film's imagery only enhances the mood of any given scene. There is a great shot early in on the film when Spoon and Stretch wait in the hospital to hear any word on Cookie's condition. The two men are sitting on a bench with a huge mural of an idyllic setting: a peaceful cottage scene complete with lake and a sailboat. It is an ironic image when you consider where they are, what has happened, and how they feel. And yet, coupled with very soulful music on the soundtrack, it is an oddly peaceful image in a fast-paced film.

Gridlock'd is filled with many such clever moments that elevate it above the usual drug movie. Without resorting to preachy sermons, it does an outstanding job of showing how bad the drug problem is the United States and how badly equipped they are in dealing with it. Gridlock'd is a smart film with plenty of humour and action to alleviate the rather serious subject matter. Best of all, it refuses to sentimentalize or romanticize its characters. And in an age of political correctness, this is a refreshing concept.

Issue 21, March 2004


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