Paid in Full

Set in the early 1980s, this entry in the African-American urban gangster genre puts character development in the front seat for a change as it rolls through the Harlem streets on its usual rise-and-fall route. Ace (Wood Harris) starts out a laundry delivery guy, but thanks to a chance encounter with a Latin coke dealer (Esai Morales), he quickly works his way to the top of a drug empire. Mitch (Mekhi Phifer) is his more extroverted, colorful pal, the "born hustler" whose bravado hides a tragic family life. For a while the money just keeps rolling in and everyone's happy, but then comes the inevitable turn to tragedy, heralded by the arrival of the brash, trigger-happy Rico (rapper Cam'ron in his screen debut). A sensitive script and moody direction by Charles Stone III allows PAID IN FULL to sidestep a lot of the cliched glamour of similar films. The violence is realistically depicted, and the ultimate emptiness and paranoia of the lifestyle is allowed to manifest slowly through a nice, low-key performa...

Key Information
Stars		Wood Harris
Actors		Esai Morales
Available Formats		DVD: EZ-D (Disposable Rental)
Directors		Charles Stone III
UPC		786936181708
Genre		Dramas
Subgenre		African American Culture • Urban Violence
MPAA Rating		R (MPAA)
Release Date		2002
Running Time		1hr 37min
Languages
Original Language		English
DVD Editions
		DVD1hr 37minBuena Vista Home EntertainmentApril 08, 2003R (MPAA)786936181067
VHS Editions
		VHS1hr 38minBuena Vista Home EntertainmentMay 04, 2004R (MPAA)786936220056
Credits
Screenwriter		Austin Phillips
Professional Reviews
		(11/01/2002, p.51, Owen Gleiberman): "...[Phifer] is electric and true..."