Deep Cover

1992 • 107 minutes

About this movie

Academy Award-nominee Laurence Fishburne stars as Russell Stevens, Jr., a maverick Cleveland cop with a turbulent past. Handpicked by the DEA to infiltrate an international cocaine cartel based in Los Angeles, Stevens goes undercover as John Q. Hull, a bold new player with seemingly little to lose. As a cop, he swore to follow orders, to uphold justice, and to observe the law; but now the rules have changed. This "ugly side" of the war on drugs explores the context of race, identity and hypocrisy within a brutal and alienating police investigation. Nominated for an Independent Spirit award, this tale also stars Academy Award-nominee Jeff Goldblum as lawyer/narcotics dealer David Jason.

Ratings and reviews

Bill Duke's second movie is still as raw, entertaining and as energetic as any being produced today. Deep Cover (1992) is an almost perfect, whip-smart morality tale. This is probably one of Laurence Fishburne's finest roles ever, imbuing his character with a multi-layered moral complexity that mixes nicely with the film's good vs. evil theme.

Though this film may have got lost in the noise of 80s thrillers it stands head and shoulders above most of them with its handling of important socio-polictal themes that are still relevant today. I don't want to get carried away because it's let down by some clumsy editing and rushed story telling but there are some moments of true class thanks to a pretty solid script and two brilliant turns by Fishbourne and Goldblum. Perhaps it could have gotten under the skin of the troublesome themes more, but given it's a film and not a series it successfully covers a lot of ground. It's worth a watch alone for the "I had killed a man; a man who looked like me" voice over. Any good film has to make you empathise with the protagonist and Laurence Fishburne's character completely drew me in. Definitely shouldn't be forgotten.

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