For fans of Film Noir, Good Fellas, strong black stories and performances, Jeff Goldblum

By: Gareth Jones

Released on April 15, 1992 (nearly one year after the Rodney King beating and a couple of weeks before the ensuing riots), Deep Cover captured the Zeitgeist of justified distrust of the police. It is a noir film updated in the drug cartels of the 90’s from the Black perspective.  The film stars the sensational Laurence Fishburne (still going by Larry) as the undercover cop trying to avoid the pitfalls of the world that killed his father.  He is recruited by the diminutive Charles Martin Smith (counter-cast brilliantly as the bad guy) to infiltrate the drug scene in the California streets while not implicating the politicians behind the crimes.  Directed insightfully and succinctly by Bill Duke (who may unjustly be better known for his acting career including the dynamic duo of films with Arnold, Predator and Commando), the film is an evergreen morality tale of racism and the corruption of power.  The film looks amazing with cinematography by Bojan Bazelli, using a full color scape to capture the underbelly of Los Angeles.  Of special note is the performance of Jeff Goldblum as the Jewish drug dealer who is Fishburne’s key to access to the underworld.  This is full Goldblum before being launched into the stratosphere with Jurassic Park.

Available to stream on Amazon, YouTube, Apple, Vudu etc.