Paid in Full is the true story of three drug dealers in '80s Harlem, and the screenplay is written by the real-life protagonist. It follows the rise and fall of Ace, a young man who does honest work for a living before getting caught up in the drug trade. The film does a great job at showing how appealing this criminal lifestyle would be to impressionable young men struggling to live in poverty. At first, the flashy aspects of the lifestyle are highlighted: brand new cars, being a local celebrity, wads of cash. Once Ace gets himself directly involved, however, the unfortunately brutal consequences to such a careless line of work quickly catch up to him.
Paid in Full wisely avoids glorifying the crimes within; in fact, many of the real crimes claimed more victims than those shown in the movie, and only one crime is changed for effect (the revenge murder of a character near the end). Ace is the perfect protagonist; he plays the game but understands its danger, choosing not to flaunt his wealth or status and avoiding doing drugs himself. Still, one is left to ask: why? Why get involved in such a trade that you know puts your entire community in danger? This is also the purpose of the writer, who has written one heckuva cautionary tale. As he says late in the film of the game, "It's all fake." The money, new clothes, cars, and hordes of women mean nothing when so many lives are at stake. The characters here are real, with understandable motivations, particularly Ace and Mitch, played by the always-fantastic Mekhi Phifer. My only complaint of the movie was that it was at times hard to understand, given all the street lingo; yet, because this was to be expected, I can't fault the movie for its realism.
This movie was a surprisingly good crime drama that has a lot to say. Rather than glorify drugs and the lifestyle involved, it serves as a dire warning.
Paid in Full wisely avoids glorifying the crimes within; in fact, many of the real crimes claimed more victims than those shown in the movie, and only one crime is changed for effect (the revenge murder of a character near the end). Ace is the perfect protagonist; he plays the game but understands its danger, choosing not to flaunt his wealth or status and avoiding doing drugs himself. Still, one is left to ask: why? Why get involved in such a trade that you know puts your entire community in danger? This is also the purpose of the writer, who has written one heckuva cautionary tale. As he says late in the film of the game, "It's all fake." The money, new clothes, cars, and hordes of women mean nothing when so many lives are at stake. The characters here are real, with understandable motivations, particularly Ace and Mitch, played by the always-fantastic Mekhi Phifer. My only complaint of the movie was that it was at times hard to understand, given all the street lingo; yet, because this was to be expected, I can't fault the movie for its realism.
This movie was a surprisingly good crime drama that has a lot to say. Rather than glorify drugs and the lifestyle involved, it serves as a dire warning.