In Too Deep

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In Too Deep

R

Released Aug 25, 1999

1h 44m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Drug lord Dwayne Gittens (LL Cool J) rules Cincinnati with an iron fist. No wonder he's known as God on the streets. Determined to break Gittens' stranglehold on the city is undercover cop Jeffrey Cole (Omar Epps). Supporting him in the difficult task ahead is his girlfriend (Nia Long) and his tough-as-nails commander (Stanley Tucci). But as Cole takes on an assumed identity to penetrate Gittens' criminal empire, he makes a disturbing discovery -- he kind of likes being a gangster.

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Critics Consensus

This shallow police film doesn't establish any kind of rhythm.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

In its exploration of the moral dilemma of the undercover life, In Too Deep breaks no ground. But Epps is a leading man on the rise, and Cool J is something to see.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 18, 2002

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Competent yet largely forgettable.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 5, 2002

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Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

LL Cool J with his natural charisma is the key to the movie's edge.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

It goes by very quickly, and it's different from the other undercover movies that you see of this caliber.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 15, 2020

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

A very engaging movie.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 15, 2020

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Aug 10, 2005

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Autumn M

In Too Deep is a story that modern audiences will undoubtedly be familiar with. An eager cop goes undercover, and gets more than he bargained with he tries to separate the two worlds of crime and the law. Most recently, the Departed gave us a deep dive into this familiar narrative. In Too Deep seems like an early sketch for this idea, with little character development and a dry story. However, it is great to see Omar Epps, Stanley Tucci and LL Cool J give this paper-thin story a good try. Okay, but definitely not essential viewing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/15/24

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Liam W

I great thriller that gives a good insight into a cop ‘In Too Deep’. I watched this at the time of release and it has aged well on my second viewing. We don’t have a huge amount of films like this, so take it for what it is, even if the premise does seem a little generic. Also, a noteworthy soundtrack, I bought the title track on vinyl at the time, which introduced me to the film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/06/24

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Maria R

Unlike too many movies with annoying soundtracks that make up for inferior filmmaking, Tarantino allows natural sounds to slip in -- traffic utensils and other everyday background noises. It allows for more drama and a greater buildup of tension.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/24

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Audience Member

Solid characters with a good plot point. Classic under cover cop movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

Has difficulty presenting a fairly simple narrative. I do like the over-the-top sadistic "God" character though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

This much panned cop film depicts a young Omar Epps going undercover to play a drug dealer. He becomes so attached to the kingpin, played by LL Cool J, that he crosses back and forth across the line between cop and robber.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

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Michael Rymer

Director

Omar Epps

Jeff Cole

LL Cool J

Dwayne Gittens

Nia Long

Myra

Stanley Tucci

Preston D'Ambrosio

Hill Harper

Breezy T.

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Synopsis

Drug lord Dwayne Gittens (LL Cool J) rules Cincinnati with an iron fist. No wonder he's known as God on the streets. Determined to break Gittens' stranglehold on the city is undercover cop Jeffrey Cole (Omar Epps). Supporting him in the difficult task ahead is his girlfriend (Nia Long) and his tough-as-nails commander (Stanley Tucci). But as Cole takes on an assumed identity to penetrate Gittens' criminal empire, he makes a disturbing discovery -- he kind of likes being a gangster.

Director: Michael Rymer
Producer: Paul Aaron, Michael Henry Brown
Screenwriter: Michael Henry Brown, Paul Aaron
Distributor: Buena Vista International [us], Miramax Films, Film Effects Inc. [ca], Bac Films, L.A. Mad Dogs
Production Co: Miramax Films, Suntaur Entertainment Company, Dimension Films
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 25, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.0M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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