Search - Red Ink on DVD

Low-budget crime drama flick

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 11/02/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This movie may have been based on the Atlanta child murders decades ago. Please do not look at my critiques of this film as a dismissal of the seriousness of those murders. This movie just had a lot of unrealistic stuff. You would think with a conspiracy as large as the one he investigates, more than the police would be involved. The conclusion is weak and there is nooooo way it could take place in a hospital. You could watch any of the cop dramas on TV for free and less time and get more out of them than this film. This film has a romantic coupling that is silly and tacked-on, kinda like Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in "Speed." One character is clearly of Afro-Asian descent: I was pleased to see that diverse member in the cast. The main character is really hot, like an adult version of Al B. Sure for the new millenium, and I wish he receives more roles. In the main character's office, there is a red-headed white gay man from whom the main character borrows money. It was a non-homophobic role that kinda reminded me of the white gay man in the original "Shaft." I loved seeing blacks and gays working together. However, there is still an implication here that all the blacks are straight and all the gays are white that kinda irks me. Also, there is a token white good guy purposely added to be contrasted to all the white villains. He doesn't say much and the director doesn't go overboard in praising his character, but clearly this is just a way to make white viewers feel comfortable with the work rather than being necessary or ameliorative to the plot.
I have two big critiques about the DVD's format. First, the subtitles were in large white script and because many characters wore white shirts against white hospital walls, you often couldn't see the translation. Second, oftentimes lower-case j's were half-erased and so they looked like commas rather than letters. Who messed up there?"