Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

There are two basic sub-genres within the "urban" (read black guys) category: 1/ The totally play-to-cliché everyone rocks a glock & has dumb hair & shoots before they talk & hates the cops & keeps it real at all times & is part of a gang selling drugs & 110% gangsta 112% of the time.2/ A more realistic portrayal, which if the depictions are right is all of the above only slightly less so.Waist Deep straddles the line of the two and ends up being a bit of both, but as a result not much of anything.Streets is hot in LA cuz. There are continual street demonstrations demanding that the violence be stopped, (though for some reason this never really comes into the storyline – so why have it?) and the mood is tetchy.Otis is called away from his job to pick up son Otis Jr who is about 9 years old. On the way home his car is jacked with Otis Jr in it. (Might I add that Otis Sr has the nickname O2, wouldn't it make more sense for his son to have that moniker?) Moving on… O2 realises that the hot (seriously) chick who distracted him and thereby assisted in the jacking was in on the ground floor. He grabs her (never abet a car-jacking and expect to run away in high heels luv) and after the girl Coco realises he really loves his son the two set off top spend the rest of the movie finding him.Within 12 minutes or so O2 finds out through his sketchy cousin Lucky that a gang called the Outlaws (ooooh scary) lead by crime-boss Big Meat (it pays to advertise I guess?) has O2-2 and wants O2 to pay a ransom to get him back.To raise the funds O2 and Coco – sounds like a bad Euro DJ team – must wreak a 2 person crime wave all over the city during which Coco gets to wear a cavalcade of fashionable outfits that were fortunately provided in an otherwise pointless scene where they go to an underground fashion dealer and stick 'em up.I'm not complaining much, Coco is hot.The film continues the paint by numbers approach, there is a love scene, proof that Big Meat is tough, nasty and ruthless and also that O2 is basically a hard working father pushed into a situation against his will, yet eminently capable in this environment… and Coco is still hot and wears lots of outfits (not sure if I mentioned that before).The title Waist Deep probably means something, I have no idea what. The film is far less macho and has fewer chest-puffed out scenes than the poster might suggest, it also isn't anywhere near as over the top as I predicted. It's merely another film where a Dad must save his child from the naughty guys while the clock is running… and neither a good nor an especially bad one.Final Rating – 5 / 10. Referring back to the first statement in this review: there are 2 sub-genres available. Waist Deep chooses neither, which is the main reason that it is quite forgettable and not very entertaining.

super, great,exciting one everyone should see. Tyrese had a strong love for his son and would do anything to keep that promise. It was a great action movie and kept me on the edge of my seat. Also, Meagan Good was a strong supporting actress and had great chemistry with Tyrese. They were a perfect match in the thriller. It had a great ending.This would be a great movie to add to your collection. I have really enjoyed this film so far have watched it 6 times since i purchased it. and will watch it again.Amsterdam, Holland

"Waist Deep" (2006) Directed By: Vondie Curtis-Hall Starring: Tyrese Gibson, Meagan Good, Larenz Tate, Henry Hunter Hall, & The Game MPAA Rating: "R" (for strong violence and pervasive language) I'm going to keep this as brief as possible. "Waist Deep" is a boring and uninspired movie that plods along at a snail's pace and very rarely entertains. There! I could end right here and you would understand most of my feelings towards this movie. For a movie that is so clichéd and predictable, I expected it to be a fun B-movie that didn't take itself too seriously. Alas, "Waist Deep" could be compared to a hamburger from Burger King being placed on expensive china and served with fine wine. It is a movie that is cheap and amateurish and yet it pretends to be a serious, dark, and deeply traumatic drama. There was rarely an entertaining moment and the pacing seemed to practically stop at large intervals--a death sentence for a movie that is a mere ninety-seven minutes. On the slight upside, the leads performances from Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good are credible and almost enough to fool you into thinking that you are enjoying yourself…I said "almost".An ex-convict named O2 (Gibson) is pulled back into the crime ring when his car is stolen with his son (Hall) in the backseat. His son ends up in the hands of Meat (The Game), a greedy crime lord with a cold, vicious heart. O2's cousin, Lucky (Tate), tries to help out, but fails to get his son back. The only person who can help him is the sexy vixen, Coco (Good), who just so happened to wander into O2's life moments earlier. Meat wants $100,000 in exchange for O2's son alive and O2 and Coco decide to take the advantage of the situation, by pitting two rival gangs against each other. As tensions explode and a brutal, bloody war is raged, O2 and Coco are forced into a hellish world that will take them to the brink of death…if they want to find his son and save themselves. Does this plot sound interesting to you? Well, it did to me too and, by all means, it should have been. Instead, this interesting plot was turned into a mess of a film that nearly bored me to death.Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good are easily the best aspects of the movie. They radiate on screen and the only reason I kept watching to the end was to see what happened to their characters. Henry Hunter Hall also does a fine job, given his age. Larenz Tate, probably best known for his role in the spectacular "Crash", is given nothing to work with. His part is flat, two-dimensional, and completely cardboard. He did what he could…unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The Game scowled…a lot. I don't know when scowling became acting, but I would assume that it was when the rapper, The Game, said that he wanted to act (since, upon searching him on Google, I find that they have no pictures of him smiling…or even slightly smirking). Kimora Lee Simmons must be desperate for work. What was she doing here? Her part was practically a cameo--a role that any out-of-work actor could have pulled off. Here's an idea, Hollywood: hire people who need work and who want to get into the business for such minute, unimportant roles.If this movie is on your "Must-See" list, then I beg you to reconsider. I have always thought that, as long as a movie is entertaining, it deserves a watch…even if it is just a single viewing. However, "Waist Deep" is not an entertaining movie. It is dull, boring, and utterly lifeless. However, I do not have such a profound hatred for it, as I did for "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector", and I do not think that it is poorly-made like "Phat Girlz". It is a well-directed movie that is shot stylishly and sleekly. However, the movie, no matter how well-made technically, is just not a good movie. The movie drags around for ninety minutes and then, within the last seven, manages to completely go from "unbelievable" to "completely and utterly ridiculous". Are we really supposed to buy this sappy, happy ending? It seemed tacked on to please the viewers who want everything to end with the line "And they lived happily ever after". Happy endings are fine, if done properly. This movie did not do it properly. It was an unsatisfying conclusion to a bad movie.Final Thought: Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good are the only good things about this boring movie.Overall Rating: 3/10 (C)

If you're looking for a film that doesn't require an overly large amount of thought, great action, and goes by fast, then 'Waist Deep' is the film for you. It is a not the typical type of film I enjoy (I like films that are psychologically powerful and wildly unpredictable such as 'Saw', 'Se7en', 'Memento', or 'Fight Club'), but I watched it twice and thought 'Waist Deep' is definitely among the more underrated films to be released recently. Another problem this film had is the fact that it came out in 2006, which thus far has been a year of extraordinary action and adventure films (see 'Pirates 2', 'Mi:III', 'Superman Returns, 'Running Scared', '16 Blocks', and 'Inside Man'). It is easy to see how 'Waist Deep' can be forgotten amongst these blockbusters. Despite this, the film is a great thrill ride that never slows down even though you'll find the film predictable.The plot is straightforward enough, following a man nicknamed O2 (Tyrese Gibson; 'Four Brothers'), a man who is trying to settle down after being recently released from prison. He is alone in life besides having his son, Junior, who means the world to him. After his cousin Lucky (Larenz Tate; 'Crash') neglects to pick Junior up from school, O2 leaves his new security guard job early to pick him up. After we see the bond that this father and his son have, O2 is carjacked by gangsters...with his son still in the car, thus setting O2 up for the ride of his life. With the reluctant help of a young woman named Coco (Meagan Good; 'Brick'), O2 vows to take his son back from the vicious gangsters, who are led by the ruthless crime lord Meat (Jayceon 'The Game' Taylor; 'The Documentary' and 'The Doctor's Advocate' rap artist).First off, what stands out is the action. Very original scenes in the film that I really enjoyed. They are intense and smart creations from Vondie Curtis Hall, who did a nice job directing this film. You really can't say enough about Tyrese Gibson, who nails the part of O2 very well. I really couldn't imagine anyone else in the role but Gibson. His biggest strength is his ability to convey emotion without speaking. Normally it is an insult to tell an actor that their best scenes were when he wasn't talking, but Gibson's nonverbal acting is simply stellar. You can relate to O2 very easily and feel his pain. He puts so much into O2, and it is easy to see in every scene, especially when he is with his son (the young actor who plays his son has the biggest eyes in the world, and he is so lovable as well). Meagan Good surprised me with her ability in 'Brick', and I was looking forward to seeing her again...sadly, she's not as good as she was in that film. She is a great young actress, but she doesn't get the job done here. Coco as a character is not very likable, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that she is supposed to be likable. She has her moments, especially at the end of the film, but overall, it's just a mediocre at best performance. One intriguing part about this film is to watch one of the better rappers of today, Jayceon 'The Game' Taylor, venture into film for the first time. I must say, Taylor picked a good role to start with. While Meat does not appear that often, you'll remember every second of him because Taylor is great as the villain of the film. Like Gibson, Taylor is great at conveying emotion to the audience without speaking. When you see him, you will know he means business. I really enjoyed watching The Game in this film, and I hope he does another role like this. Larenz Tate is the final main character of the film, but if you want to see what his character is like, just watch 'Crash', because it's basically the same performance. Good, but I liked it the first time I saw it.Vondie Curtis Hall, the director, seemed to put a lot of emotion into this film, but forgot to keep at least SOME mystery in the film. Where the story gets annoyingly predictable, Hall throws in a great action sequence to deter you from that unfortunate fact. Despite the fact that this film is rated R, it is a very light R, due only to intense action and occasionally use of the 'f' and 'n' words. I say it's okay for ages 13 and up, maybe 12. Tyrese Gibson stands out in a film that is constantly degraded for being predictable. But guess what? This isn't 'The Usual Suspects'. This isn't 'The Prestige'. This isn't 'Se7en'. It's 'Waist Deep', a great action thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the 90 minutes that it runs. Take it for what it is, sit back, and enjoy the ride.7/10 --spy