Turn It Up (2000)

Rappers Pras and Ja Rule star as Diamond and Gage, drug-dealing buddies on the mean streets of New York, in this energetic but hopelessly muddled hip-hop crime thriller. You've seen it all before: the childhood street pals hit the crisis point when Diamond wants to go straight and hot-headed Gage aspires to become the baddest gangsta on the block. Ja Rule plays the loose cannon bad boy Gage with pent-up anger and a bullying sneer, a firecracker next to burnt-out match Pras, whose commitment-shy suffering artist has a sleepy, withdrawn blandness until he's out on the streets. "I can't guarantee I'll be there for you," Diamond lamely sputters to his pregnant girlfriend before heading back out for a night of music and gunplay, coming to life with two-fisted ferocity as he coolly empties clip after clip into rival gangs. Director-screenwriter Robert Adetuyi never worries about reconciling the two sides of Diamond, and the contradictory clichés about loyalty and responsibility are delivered without a trace of irony. The John Woo-inspired action scenes are the highlights of the film, flashy, high-energy explosions of excitement that reveal Diamond as a cool-headed, criminally sharp gangster at heart. He just doesn't know it, and the film is too embarrassed to admit it. This glib, sense-numbing action fantasy coasts on the energy of the action and the music while having it both ways: violence without personal consequences and decisions without repercussions. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

Turn it down!

Will somebody please get me a glass of water? This movie is about as dry as the Sahara Desert. Pras of the Fugees plays Diamond, a former drug dealer who aspires to be a rapper. Ja Rule plays his best friend "Gage", who goes out of his way to help him at the risk of getting beatdown for not paying the people he owes money on time. The simplistic storyline is not the reason why this movie sucks. The "actors" are the reason for this film's lousiness. Pras cant act! Repeat: PRAS CANT ACT! Picture a slug crawling in a garden. That's Pras's personality summed up in a nutshell. Ja Rule is not a great actor either but he's better than Pras! Oh yeah, the songs they perform in this movie blows as expected. The little actions scenes in this movie are pathetic and the other actors who star in it such as Tamala Jones, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Jason Statham of "Crank" fame dont add much to this movie. Turn it up? How about turning that racket down so I can get some sleep! February 22, 2008

Turn it up

All in all a respectable movie. Obviously no urban movies are gunna be winning awards but if given the proper amount of showing to audiences this movie could rate up there with the best urban movies. Ja rule's acting is amazing for a freshman appearence and pras hits the sympathetic actor alrite. I give it about 7.5/10 on my scale and would highly suggest watching it to any fan of hip hop. The soundtrack to go with it/songs preformed within the movie by ja rule and pras are also very good. April 20, 2004

turn it off

if pac was still here now he would never ride with ja nah nah nah nah nah nah June 25, 2003

It was pure [baloney], but I kinda liked it...

The plot was tired, but the acting was ok especially Ja Rule who seemed a natural to his role. Not a bad first outing Ja.
Pras co-produced and I think he should stick to doing that. His character just seemed too disinterested, or perhaps it was just Pras.
Props to Robert Adetuyi for writing and directing - Jolly good show mah men, but did the editing kill the flow?
Keep up the work guys, hey everyone's a critic... April 8, 2002

Good God! What is this ...? Needs a zero star!

I gave it a chance and not suprisingly I was thoroughly sickened. This is one of the latest in a crop of Hip Hop crime dramas featuring the same horrible rappers that fuel the ... soundtracks in the acting roles. This movie left a foul taste in my mouth and quite a headache. This is further proof that Rap is ruining all forms of entertainment. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this incorrigible trash. Word Yo! March 25, 2002

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