Movies - Dead Presidents

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	Movies - Dead Presidents

Dead Presidents is a 1995 action-thriller film written and directed by the Hughes Brothers (Albert and Allen Hughes), and stars Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, N'Bushe Wright and Bokeem Woodbine.

Synopsis

Dead Presidents opens in 1969, as Anthony (Larenz Tate) is about to graduate from high school. Not wanting to go to college, but needing to get away from home to find himself, he enrolls in the U.S. Marine Corps, shortly after graduating high school, and is sent to Vietnam, leaving behind a middle-class family, a pregnant girlfriend (Rose Jackson), and a small time crook, Kirby (Keith David), who is like a second father.

Joining Anthony in the military are two of his close friends, Skip (Chris Tucker) and Jose (Freddy Rodriguez). During their tour in Vietnam, they experience the horror of war, losing several fellow soldiers during combat and fighting an unseen enemy. One of their platoon is killed by stepping on a land mine and another is the victim of terror tactics of the Northern Vietnamese; he is disemboweled alive. (Later, while attempting to return to their command post, Anthony gives the man a fatal overdose of morphine.)

When Anthony finally comes back to the Bronx in 1973, after two tours of duty, he discovers that returning to "normal" life isn't easy or pleasant. He is laid off from his job in a butcher shop and finds himself unable to support his daughter. Anthony, Kirby, Skip, Jose, Delilah (a member of the Black Panthers), and Cleon plot to rob an armored car making a stop at the Federal Reserve Bank of Brooklyn. Though they plan the heist very carefully, it goes horribly bad when a policeman stumbles on the scene. Jose makes use of an excessive amount of explosives, destroying the armored car and the cash inside. A gunfight with the police arriving on the scene ensues and both Jose and Delilah are killed. Kirby, Anthony and Cleon are all arrested shortly afterwards and Skip is found dead of a heroin overdose in his apartment. Anthony is tried, convicted, and sent to prison, despite his record of serving his country as a Marine. (The judge, played by Martin Sheen in a cameo role, is also a former Marine and disregards Anthony's passionate plea for clemency.) He berates the judge before being taken away. The last scene shows him on a bus headed for prison.

Themes

Although most of the movie Dead Presidents takes place in the Bronx, it's the segment away from New York that drives the story. This is the story of a black man who goes off to war as a relative innocent, and returns a decorated hero whose only scars are inside. His re-acclimatization to civilian life is difficult, but, unlike some of his friends, he never turns to drugs, and isn't averse to working hard to earn a living. Sometimes, however, good intentions and a valiant effort aren't enough.

The film also makes reference to returning war veterans who are neglected by the US government. Many veterans of the Vietnam War were denied benefits, compensation, and recognition for their efforts in serving their country. Anthony is no exception; upon his arrival in Brooklyn he is unable to find gainful employment to support his daughter, born while he was on tour in Vietnam. His friend Kirby, a Korean War veteran (who lost a leg during combat) has become a low-level neighborhood enforcer, a man who turned to crime to sustain a living.

Cast

Larenz Tate
— Anthony Curtis
Keith David
— Kirby
Chris Tucker
— Skip
Bokeem Woodbine
— Cleon
Freddy Rodríguez — Jose
Rose Jackson — Juanita Benson
N'Bushe Wright
— Delilah Benson
Alvaleta Guess — Mrs. Benson
James Pickens Jr. — Mr. Curtis
Jenifer Lewis
— Mrs. Curtis
Clifton Powell
— Cutty
Elizabeth Rodriguez — Marisol
Terrence Howard
— Cowboy
Ryan Williams — Young revolutionary
Larry McCoy — Nicky
Rodney Winfield — Mr. Warren

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Dead Presidents ]

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