Once in the Life

R

Released Oct 27, 2000

1 hr. 47 min.

Crime

Drama

List

28%

25 Reviews

Tomatometer

56%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A gritty drama centered around brotherhood and friendship, "Once in the Life" is a realistic depiction of how everyday choices affect our path in life. It is a cautionary tale about making the wrong choices and the inevitable, tragic conclusion of an individual who is drawn to a life of crime - - once in the life, always in the life.

Read More

Read Less

Critics Consensus

Once in a Life is a promising directorial effort by Laurence Fishburne. But the story is too conventional and similar to the many ghetto action/dramas that come before it.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Member

I Like the way it starts!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Rotten blaxploitation trash. I paused and paid attention to the terrible dialogue for a moment and counted SEVEN "fucks" in two lines. That kind of writing is hard to watch.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Although my expectations weren't high for this movie coming in, I was still a little disappointed with it. I thought it was at least going to have more action in it but it didn't deliver on that. Just a lot of repetitive talking. Not worth watching.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Laurence Fishburne established himself as one of the most compelling actors making films today with simmering performances that command the screen. With Once in the Life, a tale of small-time crooks on the run from a heist gone wrong, he adds ...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

excellent film but more like a play due to the pacing

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is Reservoir Dogs without the Diamond Heist set-up and the all-out hipster bullshit.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Laurence Fishburne

Director

Laurence Fishburne

20

Titus Welliver

Torch

Eamonn Walker

Tony

Dominic Chianese Jr.

Freddie Nine Lives

Paul Calderone

Manny Rivera

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

93%

85%

Traffic

81%

85%

The Man Who Wasn't There

48%

40%

City by the Sea

83%

59%

Animal Factory

21%

62%

Empire

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Eric Harrison

Houston Chronicle

Needlessly convoluted storytelling, talkiness and misplaced narrative emphasis.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Michael Atkinson

Village Voice

While the line-readings are often dead-on, Fishburne's movie suffers from the usual one-room claustrophobia and Mametian repetitions.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Kevin Maynard

Mr. Showbiz

While this cautionary tale of brotherhood gone wrong doesn't exactly break new ground, it certainly shows off its writer-director-star's triple-threat filmmaking potency.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 17, 2005

Full Review

Jeffrey Westhoff

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

It reeks of staged theater: three men in one room talking endlessly.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 16, 2002

Full Review

Ryan Cracknell

Apollo Guide

Rated: 52/100

Apr 9, 2001

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

A gritty drama centered around brotherhood and friendship, "Once in the Life" is a realistic depiction of how everyday choices affect our path in life. It is a cautionary tale about making the wrong choices and the inevitable, tragic conclusion of an individual who is drawn to a life of crime - - once in the life, always in the life.

Director: Laurence Fishburne
Executive Producer: Steve Carlis, Donald C. Carter, Larry Meistrich
Screenwriter: Laurence Fishburne, Laurence Fishburne
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Shooting Gallery, Cinema Gypsy Productions
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Some Drug Content|Pervasive Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 27, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.5K
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround