Word About Biehn

Strapped=(in street parlance) to be armed.

Strapped is a hard-hitting drama about the prevalence and threat of illegal guns. It draws a graphic and unsettling picture of life in a crime-ridden inner-city community, where success is measured by survival, dealing guns is seen as a step up from dealing drugs, and "getting out" is the ultimate goal.

Diquan Mitchell (Bokeem Woodbine) is an ex-con trying to go straight. He has a legitimate job and is looking forward to making a life for himself, his girlfriend Latisha, and their coming child. But things go badly wrong when Latisha is arrested for pushing crack and Diquan faced with finding a way to free her before their baby is born. His prospects of accomplishing that seem pretty grim, until he is approached by Matthew McRae (Michael), a determined cop working to put a halt to the illegal sale of firearms in the neighborhood. If Diquan will provide information leading to the arrest of those dealing guns unlawfully, McRae will see what he can do about getting the DA to drop or lower the charge against Latisha. Diquan agrees and finds himself a reluctant player in the tug of war between law enforcers and lawbreakers, where the law itself seems set against him.

Gritty and realistic in atmosphere, Strapped boasts top-notch performances all around. And it is blessed with a smartly constructed script that mirrors the hopelessness of the culture it depicts. Diquan is but a pawn, and when his story is done, nothing on the streets has changed. The cyclical nature of this substratum of society, where cop versus criminal and unscrupulous merchants peddle their lethal wares, continues unabated, with Diquan but a minor glitch in the process.

In the featured role of Matthew McRae, Michael has a well-written part that is substantive and pivotal to the plot. He makes the most of it, delivering an intense performance as a tough cop, callused by experience and fiercely driven to stop illegal gun trafficking. Michael makes MacRae credible and convincing in his willingness to work any angle to manipulate Diquan into informing for him. Yet he still manages to show that in what sometimes seems like his single-minded pursuit of his mission, McRae has not lost sight of the people involved.

Powerfully delivered, Strapped leaves disquiet in its wake. It is a film to be seen and remembered.

Point of interest: Bokeem Woodbine and Michael both appear in The Rock.

Kay