Deep Cover

R

Released Apr 15, 1992

1 hr. 48 min.

Crime

Drama

List

87%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

David Jason (Jeff Goldblum) is the biggest drug dealer in Los Angeles, and Russell Stevens (Larry Fishburne) is an undercover cop who wants to bring him down. Posing as a dealer, Stevens begins to earn the trust of the L.A. drug underworld, eventually making his way to Jason himself. But along the way he has to take his cover to depths he never thought he would have to see, including selling drugs and going to great lengths to eliminate potential competitors for Jason's drug cartel.

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Critics Consensus

Deep Cover rises above standard-issue crime thriller fare thanks to a smartly cynical script and powerhouse performances from its unorthodox but well-matched leads.

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Steve D

It hasn't aged well.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

Al s

I will watch this movie over and over again. A very serious look into what is good and evil.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Early 90's west coast crime drama has aged quite well. Wonderful cinematography and some noir-ish style make the already compelling tale more easy to get swept up in.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Taylor L

"No, Mr. Guzman, I think you'll note there's no such thing as an American anymore. No Hispanics, no Japanese, no blacks, no whites, no nothings. Just rich people and poor people. The three of us are all rich, so we're on the same side." Noted character actor Bill Duke moves behind the camera to direct a crime thriller filled with political acuity. Deep Cover doesn't languish in photorealistic portraits of urban life, trending towards excess to hammer its points home, but feels sharp as a tack describing the still-relevant corrupt balance between politics, money, crime, drugs, and racism, a cocktail built on human suffering and designed to crank out money. While Infernal Affairs and The Departed would make undercover cop work into a psychological experience, here it's more straightforward and grounded, but without forgetting that there's a sense of unpredictability and entertainment value that needs to be maintained. "Larry" Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum form this entertaining odd couple dynamic that builds into an oddly compelling kinship by the film's final scenes. Don't let people tell you that this is just a predictable '90s take on the blaxploitation genre, there was clear intent behind this film even if audiences have come to expect a greater degree of grit in their crime films. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/30/22

Full Review

Audience Member

A bit of the acting is over the top, but the melodrama suits the film noir style that it's molded itself after. It's a hard boiled detective crime drama that has some important points to make about race and the state of America in the 90s. It's bleak, it's dark, I loved it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/13/22

Full Review

Audience Member

I had no idea that Larry Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum did a movie together. This was really good. Most movies don't age so well. There was a tiny bit of 90s cheese in there, but it wasn't too detracting.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Bill Duke

Director

Laurence Fishburne

Russell Stevens Jr.

Jeff Goldblum

David Jason

Victoria Dillard

Betty

Charles Martin Smith

Carver

Gregory Sierra

Barbosa

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Smart and stylish, it also has scenes of crackling violence and dramaturgy that oftentimes strains to work but, on the whole, Deep Cover is engaging, thoughtful and inventive.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 31, 2007

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Convoluted and mostly unconvincing as a portrait of the drug underworld, Deep Cover [based on a story by Michael Tolkin] still carries some resonance due to its vivid portrait of societal decay and a heavyweight performance by Larry Fishburne.

Oct 31, 2007

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

What emerges is a powerhouse thriller full of surprises, original touches, and rare political lucidity, including an impressive performance by Jeff Goldblum.

Oct 31, 2007

Full Review

Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Deep Cover is a hidden piece of noir revived in the 1990s the blends in with the rap soundtrack from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog...

Feb 28, 2023

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

A savage but sage unraveling of best intentions into a no-win situation. It's a thriller of sharp edges and ideas that borrows the patois and patina of noir, in which violent ends are not romanticized but simply just rationalized to diminished returns.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 25, 2022

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

This is not a simple story of a cop breaking bad. Instead, its a look at a Black man questioning his own place in the hierarchy of law enforcement and within America itself.

Apr 20, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

David Jason (Jeff Goldblum) is the biggest drug dealer in Los Angeles, and Russell Stevens (Larry Fishburne) is an undercover cop who wants to bring him down. Posing as a dealer, Stevens begins to earn the trust of the L.A. drug underworld, eventually making his way to Jason himself. But along the way he has to take his cover to depths he never thought he would have to see, including selling drugs and going to great lengths to eliminate potential competitors for Jason's drug cartel.

Director: Bill Duke
Executive Producer: David Streit
Screenwriter: Michael Tolkin, Henry Bean
Production Co: Image Organization, New Line Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 15, 1992, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.6M
Sound Mix: Surround

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