Wednesday, November 10, 1999
MOVIE REVIEW
'Light It Up' shines beyond familiar fare
BY MARGARET A. McGURK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Any movie fan will recognize immediately that Light It Up borrows liberally from other hostage-dramas, including the grand-daddy of them all, Dog Day Afternoon. That doesn't mean it's a bad movie.
Writer-director Craig Bolton brings a fresh eye to the format that turns a familiar crime drama into a complex emotional story, in much the same way that Set It Off proved full of unexpected nuance.
Light It Up is built around a group of accidental criminals, a half-dozen students at a crumbling, crowded inner-city school who snap after a confrontation with overworked administrators and a bitter cop. The officer (Forest Whitaker) ends up wounded with his own gun, barricaded in the library with the students.
The hostage takers are led by star athlete Lester Dewitt (rapper Usher Raymond, in a sensitive performance). Also involved are his semi-girlfriend, Stephanie (Rosario Dawson), a dean's-list achiever, and the impoverished street artist Ziggy (Robert Ri'chard), who sparks Lester's protective instincts.
The group also includes a pregnant punk-rocker (Sarah Gilbert), a petty crook (Clifton Collins Jr.), and a violent gang member named Rodney (Fredro Starr). Lester soon finds himself torn between Rodney's taste for mayhem and Stephanie's yearning to turn the showdown into a meaningful — and peaceful — statement.
The crux of the drama is the slow growth of trust between the wounded officer and Lester. Mr. Bolton's script refrains from making stereotypes of either the hostage-takers or the police, including Vanessa L. Williams as a frustrated negotiator.
The movie is produced by Tracey E. Edmonds; executive producer is her husband Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Under the flag of Edmonds Entertainment, the couple also produced the hit Soul Food and the independent favorite Hav Plenty. Light It Up is an encouraging addition to what is proving to be an enviable track record among the new generation of Hollywood movers and shakers.
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