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Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, N'Bushe Wright, Freddy Rodriguez ... see more see more... , Rose Jackson , Frank Albanese , Seymour Cassel , Rik Colitti , Cheryl Freeman , Clifton Collins Jr. , David Barry Gray , Terrence Howard , Michael Imperioli , Jean Claude Lamarre , Jenifer Lewis , Robert LuPone , Larry McCoy , James Pickens Jr. , Clifton Powell , Tony Sirico , Bernie Telsey , Carlton Wilborn , Rodney Winfield , Bokeem Woodbine , Jaimz Woolvett , Martin Sheen , Isaiah Washington , Ryan Williams , Robert Smith , Alvaleta Guess , Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones , Elizabeth Rodriguez , Monti Sharp , Heather B. , Cuc Dinh , Joelle Hernandez , Jordan Hernandez , Daniel Kruse , Charles E. Lesene , Quynh Phann , Yen Chin Grow , Tim Zay , Bob Smith (IV)

Albert Hughes and his brother Allen Hughes followed their striking debut Menace II Society with this ambitious look at the social and political lives of the African-American community in the late 1960... read more read more...s and early 1970s. Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate) is a young man coming of age in the Bronx in 1968. Working two part-time jobs -- one as a milkman's helper and another for local numbers runner Kirby (Keith David) -- Anthony is torn between doing the right thing and trying to get by in a environment that offers few opportunities to young black men. After graduating from high school, Anthony decides to join the Marines, news that is not well-received by his parents, who want him to go to college, or his girlfriend Juanita (Rose Jackson), with whom Anthony recently lost his virginity. After serving a horrific tour of duty in Viet Nam with his friends Skip (Chris Tucker) and Jose (Freddy Rodriguez), Anthony finds himself back home in 1973, where Juanita has been raising the child he fathered before he shipped out, drugs and crime have crippled his community, and honest job prospects are practically nil. Eventually, Anthony falls in with Kirby, Skip, and Jose, who have teamed with Juanita's sister Delilah (N'Bushe Wright), a Black Power activist, and Cleon (Bokeem Woodbine), in a scheme to rob an armored truck taking worn greenbacks ("dead presidents") to a mint to be destroyed. Martin Sheen and Seymour Cassel appear unbilled in small roles. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

74% liked it

29,043 ratings

Critics

45% liked it

31 critics

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

Release Date: October 6, 1995

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DVD Release Date: May 19, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (973)

  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 20, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    It was a good movie and had some good drama and action. We can see some young actors here like Chris Tucker, Larenz Tate and Terrence Howard showing there work and bringing there usual style to the movies.

    This action drama was the second film by the movie-making twins, Albert a... read morend Allen Hughes. The two started their careers with the urban drama, Menace II Society, and this effort has a 70s urban setting. The style and skill of these talented filmmakers is immediately apparent and the script which they co-wrote with Michael Henry Brown has well-developed characters and great tension along with explosive action scenes framed with an engrossing small scale story. The acting is excellent, but the real star here is the Hughes direction which is cool and inspired.

    Larenz Tate is Anthony Curtis, a good-natured high school kid in 60s New York who is enjoying life with his girlfriend, Delilah and good friends, Skip (Chris Tucker in an early role) and Jose (Freddy Rodriguez) and running numbers for a local tough guy, Kirby (Keith David). Those days are not to last, however, as all three of the young friends end up in Vietnam. Following a fairly lengthy and well-done segment in the Nam, all three end up back in the old neighbourhood, where Anthony finds adjusting to civilian life difficult. Soon (and rather suddenly), the whole bunch of them are planning an armoured car heist, and ohhhh boy, what a heist it turns out to be.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 25, 2010
    sanjurosamurai
    a sad but powerful film about people who come home from war with nothing, and the life that awaits them. the cast was excellent, particularly woodbine, tucker, and tate. the shootout at the end is full of lasting images and the war scenes are truly effective as well. great movie.
  • DrZeek
    January 15, 2010
    DrZeek
    Kirby: Everyone in this town knows I've only got one leg. And that motherfucker grabbed the wrong one.

    Years ago I saw the previews for this movie; and all I gathered was that Hendrix's "All Arond the Watchtower" sounded really cool next to atmospheric shots of a mime heist in... read more New York. Of course, seeing this film now, there is a complete hour and 35 minutes before any element of a heist film really comes into play. That being said, there is a lot of good movie here, before the last act takes things off the rails a bit. One thing is for sure, the Hughes Brothers no how to make a great looking cinematic feature.

    Larenz Tate is Anthony Curtis, a good-natured high school kid in 60s New York who is enjoying life with his girlfriend, Delilah and good friends, Skip (Chris Tucker in a pretty good performance) and Jose (Freddy Rodriguez), and running numbers for a local tough guy, Kirby (Keith David, who's always awesome). Those days are not to last, however, as all three of the young friends end up in Vietnam. Following a fairly lengthy and well-done segment in the Nam, all three end up back in the old neighborhood, where Anthony finds adjusting to civilian life difficult, with a new family all of the sudden and not much respect for his service added to it. Soon (and rather suddenly), the whole bunch of them are planning an armored car heist, but things don't turn out as planned.

    Based on true events of an actual veteran, the film has four basic parts. First at home, then in Nam, then back at home, and then the heist. The first two parts work much better than the latter. I kind of blame this on Tate's character, which is sad, because I like Larenz Tate; for some reason, despite only just recently seeing him in these Hughes Brothers movies, I've always noticed him in roles through the years, but in this movie, his character just doesn't seem to justify the actions taken by the end.

    There is a lot to like in this film however. Despite the autodrive ending act, the film looks great throughout. Just as in Meanace 2 Society, the Hughes Brothers show again that they are very gifted with their camera work (which could bode well for Book of Eli). There are great shots and sequences in this movie. The score by Danny Elfman of all people is quite effective, as well as the awesome 60s soundtrack featured throughout.

    By no means a great movie, there are still plenty of good merits, namely the filmmaking and supporting actors featured, that make this a watchable film.

    Anthony Curtis: No bad habits, ma. Except for a little killing.
  • Chiefilms
    November 27, 2009
    Chiefilms
    Upgrade to 4 stars. An underrated movie man, it's quite a pimp movie. Dark portrayal of inner city life and the hardship of Vietnam vets. Great soundtrack, dark 70's funk.
  • LitelBluHli
    January 14, 2009
    LitelBluHli
    I remember watching this when I was just a little kid, but, I still remember it being a good movie. Larenz Tate was great in here.
  • kpn666
    August 23, 2008
    kpn666
    A great black crime thriller depicting the sad story of how Vietnam Vets return home to nothing.... no job opportunity, no chance to raise a family properly... nothing.... except crime.

    With a star cast listing, each with their individual talents, its fascinating to see how the... read more war affected the lead characters, from the nightmares to heroin addiction to finding God... and how the ultimate prize draws them together for a bloody heist which destroys all of them.

    It is pretty gory and explicit for violence... well to put it short, we see a guy who was castrated and had his lovejoy put in his mouth.... well thats a gruesome as it can get. Plus body parts blowing up and such. No shorts on graphic violence. ^___^""
  • garyX
    June 6, 2008
    garyX
    An intelligent update of blaxploitation flicks from the 1970s, Dead Presidents is the story of Anthony, a promising young student who, upon his return from the Vietnam war, finds his old neighbourhood completely transformed. Without a job, suffering post traumatic stress and unab... read morele to feed his young family he becomes embroiled in a plan to rob an armoured car. Unfairly appropriated into the slew of movies from the "hood" in the early 1990s, this film from the Hughes brothers (Menace II Society) is a clever blend of coming of age, Vietnam war and urban crime dramas. Larenz Tate heads a young cast who all acquit themselves well, although none can match the dominating presence of veteran character actor Keith David; even the normally excruciating Chris Tucker is pretty good here. It's full of memorable scenes taking a lot of stylistic cues from Goodfellas, particularly the gripping heist sequence, and it's all complimented perfectly by a wonderful soundtrack of the best of American soul and funk of the period. I think it would have benefited from a non linear timeline to break up the episodic nature of the script, and considering the power of the build up, it ends in something of a whimper; the Hughes brothers feeling the need to hammer home the "crime doesn't pay" message at the expense of a satisfying narrative conclusion. But considering the many disparate elements cleverly combined and some excellent set pieces, it's a strong and worthy action driven crime drama with a message.
  • Deano78
    June 16, 2007
    Deano78
    Tough, gritty crime drama that is well made.
  • mjgildea
    November 13, 2006
    mjgildea
    An amazing tribute to blaxploitation films from the 70s. Larenz Tate is amazing.
  • Lemure
    February 25, 2010
    Lemure
    If the Hughes Brothers made more than one film every five years they'd be better known, and deservedly so. Here we have black youth going off to war and then struggling to cope upon returning. It's the mid-section that drags, but then along comes a beautifully shot heist that ran... read moreks with Heat and The Dark Knight for sheer style.
    The film also avoids a "Hollywood" ending by way of an excellent Martin Sheen cameo. And it has a decent score by Elfman. Hey, even Chris Tucker is less annoying than usual. Worth watching.

View All Dead Presidents Reviews

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy
March 26, 2009
Todd McCarthy, Variety

Dead Presidents may eventually box itself into a narrative dead end, but its muscular engagement of weighty themes and explosive situations makes it a powerful drama. Full Review

Caryn James
May 20, 2003
Caryn James, New York Times

Like those overreaching sophomore term papers we can all laugh at now, this disappointing film may free the Hughes brothers to move on to fresher, more inspired work. Full Review

Peter Stack
June 18, 2002
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

It's an overly ambitious effort that strains to work as a coming-of-age drama, a 1960s period piece and a searing comment on the way African American GIs went largely unappreciated for their war efforts. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

What emerges is an uneasy blend of didacticism and juiced-up bloodletting (the brothers don't know when to stop with the exploding squibs) that bury the film's message and its good intentions.

Kenneth Turan
February 13, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Made with fluid skill and a passion for storytelling, its tale of how the Vietnam War and American society affect a black Marine remains accessible while confounding expectations. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Dead Presidents is like a shotgun blast in the face: It's that powerful, that lethal, that ugly. Full Review

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

Messy but mesmerizing.

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

People of any color can sympathize with the plight of Anthony Curtis and understand, if not agree with, the eventual choices life forces him to make. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Unfortunately, the story manages to be intense (and very bloody), heartfelt and superficial, all at the same time. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Here is a film that feels incomplete, as if its last step is into thin air. Scene by scene you feel its skill, but you leave the theater wondering about the meaning of it all. Full Review

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    • Cleon: Your junkie ass really messed up out there.
    • Skip: Don't blame me for your fuck ups.
    • Cleon: I told Anthony I didn't want nothing to do with a crazy devil filled junkie!
    • Skip: What?
    • Cleon: You listening to me? Look at him.
    • Skip: [Skip punches Cleon] Now say some more shit! I'll knock yo ass right back down. Fake ass, wannabe preacher, no members havin' motherfucker!
    • Anthony Curtis: Why don't y'all stop acting like some fucking clowns.
    • Anthony Curtis: The whole plan was fucked up! We ain't do shit right out there, man. Shit.
    • Skip: Just tell me one thing Cleon. Why the fuck you didn't grab the cop?
    • Cleon: You killed him, a young brother.
    • Skip: If you wouldn't have froze up like a bitch maybe I wouldn't have to do that shit, now wouldn't I?
    • Kirby: Would y'all shut the fuck up?
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  • What movie has the tagline "In this daring heist, the only color that counts is green"?  Answer »
  • what was clifton powell's charactor's name in dead presidents?  Answer »
  • Which actor was in Crash, Ray, Dead Presidents and Heart's War?  Answer »
  • Which film has the character names Johnny Utah and the Dead Presidents?  Answer »
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