Paid In Full DVD Review:


Synopsis

From behind the counter of the dry cleaner where he works, Ace (Harris) longingly covets the expensive cars and flashy clothes of his friends, Mitch (Phifer) and Calvin (Carroll). But with a chance encounter, Ace’s world is about to dramatically change. On a routine laundry drop-off, Ace meets Lulu (Morales), whose apartment and elaborate jewelry hint at a life of luxury. Ace is quickly lured into the seductive world of drug dealing, where the easy money affords him a position of power in the illicit underworld. But as his friends and family become pawns and victims, Ace realizes that he must pay a high price for his growing success.

Critique

Supposedly based on a true story, Paid in Full, directed by Charles Stone III, is a pretty straightforward urban drama. Fueled by two great lead performances, namely Wood Harris (HBO’s The Wire) and Mekhi Phifer (O), and a supporting role played by eccentric newcomer Cam’ron, the film succeeds on most levels. While I don’t consider this film more original than other films of its kind, Paid in Full adds its own style and history to the genre. The film place in Harlem during 80s and chronicles the path of a young man whose “live and maintain” attitude and drug connections make him a lot of money. However, with all the fame and respect, good things soon turn out for the worse. It is this kind of formula that is most common among these types of (almost wannabe) dramas.

Paid in Full is based on an earlier screenplay by Azie Faison Jr. and Austin Phillips. Just like James Cameron’s True Lies script is based on previous work, here Matthew Cirulnick and Thulani Davis adapted the earlier work and scripted their own. The script’s structure is fairly commonplace seeing as how "out of order" storylines are favorable among the creative minds. It starts out somewhere in the middle, takes us to the past to introduce the major players, comes back to the middle, and finally rolls out to tell the rest of the story. Surprisingly, this technique worked in favor of Paid in Full. On the other hand, Scarface seems to be a source of inspiration here and perhaps there is a little too much of it (not to mention the actual reference to the film within the film).

Director Charles Stone III offers an insightful and sad look at the 80s life in Harlem, specifically the drug trade side of life. Wood Harris is almost excellent playing Ace, the central character. Supporters Phifer and Cam’ron make their presence known, too. Paid in Full’s composers did a very fine job as did rappers Eric B. and Rakim who provided the pivotal song "Paid in Full" in the film.

The script is fairly good, but the dialogue is really repetitive and dull. In fact, much of the dialogue consists of these kinds of phrases: "you know," "man," "yo," "B," "nigga," "baby," etc. I’d assume the actors adlibbed most of these phrases, but at some point, and it’s well after the 30 minute mark of the 98-minute running time, the repetitiveness gets the worst of you and influences your overall enjoyment of the film.

7 out of 10

The Video

For a film taking place during the 80s, but obviously photographed after that timeframe, the video transfer is actually pretty good. Presented in widescreen format 1.85:1 and enhanced for 16x9 televisions, the quality of the print retains its colors and provides a clear picture. Most dark scenes don’t suffer from any distortions, but some scenes did. Nevertheless, the overall reaction to this transfer is pretty good and should aid the experience when watching the film.

8 out of 10

The Audio

Available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Pain in Full makes its impact only slightly known. The Dolby track produces a lot of noise, but much of it is usually emitted from the front speakers. Only during a few instances did I notice the rear speakers emitting sounds.

7 out of 10

The Extras

Commentary by director – Charles Stone III is obviously very passionate about this film and makes this known during the commentary. His comments range from technical information, praise for cast and crew, character motivation, locations, etc. While it is an overall easy listen, the commentary is the only extra on this DVD and therefore not 100% worth the effort in my mind.

This is it. Not even a trailer is included, by now a mandatory thing. No effort is present here.

3 out of 10

Overall

When you have a film with an outstanding performance, by Wood Harris, a pretty personal story, based on true events, and a fine soundtrack, one particular song by Eric B. and Rakim, you should be in good company. This would be true, but only if it weren’t for the lame dialogue. With fairly decent transfers in video and audio and a fairly good film, despite a decent commentary as the only extra, this DVD should be "considered" as a rental.

Overall DVD Rating: 6 out of 10

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