Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Andrzej Bartkowiak

Writers (WGA):

John O'Brien (story)
John O'Brien (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Born 2 the life. True 2 the code. Bad 2 the bone.

Plot:

A jewel thief's daughter is kidnapped after he steals a collection of prized black diamonds, which aren't at all what they seem.

Plot Keywords:

Diamond | Heist | Erotic Dancing | Self Referential | Airport

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Jet Li	...	Su
DMX	...	Anthony Fait
Kelly Hu	...	Sona
Anthony Anderson	...	Tommy
Tom Arnold	...	Archie
Mark Dacascos	...	Yao Ling
Gabrielle Union	...	Daria
Michael Jace	...	Odion
Drag-On	...	Miles
Paige Hurd	...	Vanessa
Paolo Seganti	...	Christophe
Richard Trapp	...	Douglas
Ron Yuan	...	Laser Tech
Woon Young Park	...	Bald Enforcer
Johnny Nguyen	...	Ling's Hitman

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin | Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #39626) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18A (Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Spain:18 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Denmark:15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Silver Pictures

Trivia:

Real life UFC competitors Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell were recruited by producer Joel Silver for the cage fight sequence with Jet Li.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gabriella's character is getting off the train walking on the tracks, she has on a heeled shoe. When exiting through the gate, she has on flat shoes.

Quotes:

Fait: How many times do I have to tell you people! I'm a businessman, make me an offer!
Ling's Hitman: [cocks his gun] Here's your offer.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Cycle of Aggression (2005)

Soundtrack:

X Gon' Give it to Ya

Substance 2 The Grave.

"Cradle 2 The Grave" is an action movie by the same people who brought you Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds... And it shows. Skeleton-thin story, two-dimensional characters, and action for action's sake. Usually when you watch an action movie - not always, but usually - the action scenes serve as a means to tie the story together. In this movie, the exact opposite is true. Therefore, the flow of narrative serves only to fill the gaps between scenes where Jet Li unleashes Wushu fury on his opponents, who for the most part tend to be guys who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The action is well done, don't get me wrong, but for some reason Jet Li just seems uncomfortable here. Perhaps it's just the role he was given, but for some reason he never quite "clicked" with everything else that was going on.

Another gripe I had about the movie is that we're told who everyone is by other characters. Instead of showing Jet's history with the villain portrayed by Mark Dacascos, we just hear Jet saying "We used to be on the same side, he betrayed us, etc. etc." This keeps things going along at a fast pace, but personally I like my movies fleshed out a little bit - even a flashback scene would have been enough. Since it's not, the final battle really doesn't mean anything. Oh well, I guess I'm just asking too much.

I suppose that after "Kiss of the Dragon" and even "The One" I was expecting Jet Li's U.S. track record to improve, not slide backwards 3 years, to "Romeo Must Die" status. Perhaps after "Hero" is released state side we'll start getting some good projects from Li. Until then, we'll have to deal with more DMX (Get At Me, Dawg!) movies.

For now, I'll continue to watch Fist of Legend. If you haven't, I recommend you see that rather than this.