Waist Deep

Vondie Curtis Hall's urban melodrama Waist Deep kicks off in high gear when O2 (Tyrese Gibson), an ex-con working as a security guard in south L.A., is car-jacked, and while O2 manages to shoot two of the culprits, the third makes off with his convertible—and his young son. Enlisting the aid of a prostitute named Coco (Meagan Good) and his drug-addled cousin (Larenz Tate), O2 embarks on a series of high-energy ploys meant to trick the man holding O2's kid—a nasty crime boss named Meat (played by rapper The Game)—into starting a turf war with a rival gang, before engaging in a series of Bonnie-and-Clyde-like bank holdups to raise the $100,000 ransom Meat demands for his son's release. Waist Deep may be constructed from recycled elements—the flawed hero, the cute-as-a-button child in jeopardy, the hooker with a heart of gold, the snarling drug lord, the damaged younger cousin, the clever heist, and so on—but unlike similar urban fare, this one at least tells a story and features a better-than-average cast. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include seven deleted scenes (13 min.), a “Drive-By Filmmaking” featurette on vehicles used in the film (8 min.), a five-minute analysis of a scene, the “Bad Girl” music video by Black Buddafly featuring Fabolous, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a halfway decent urban action flick.] (F. Swietek)