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Once in the Life

Play trailer Poster for Once in the Life R Released Oct 27, 2000 1h 47m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
28% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
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.
Once in the Life

What to Know

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.

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Critics Reviews

View All (25) Critics Reviews
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 Lou Lumenick New York Post Would easily qualify for an Oscar nomination if it were in a movie that was a bit less like canned theater and more cinematic. 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

Audience Reviews

View All (10) audience 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
Once in the Life

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

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
Producer
David Bushell, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland
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
Runtime
1h 47m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround