Dead Presidents (1995)

Three movies in one.  A coming-of-age tale set in the South Bronx, a
tour of duty in Vietnam, and an armored car heist.  The last is the
one that they show in all the ads, and the least successful segment
in this well-intentioned period drama from Albert and Allen Hughes
(MENACE II SOCIETY).  Good humor and honest performances in the first
segment lead into a stunning war sequence that's not for the faint-
hearted.  (Severed heads and strewn intestines, anyone?)  The Big
Heist, at the end, is where the narrative becomes choppy.  Huge
chunks of the story seem to be missing, perhaps to trim an already-
healthy running time?  By the end, nothing makes sense.  If there's
an overt social statement lurking about, it's buried under a mound of
other, unresolved issues.

Grade: C+

Copyright 1995 by Michael J. Legeros

Originally posted to triangle.movies