Movies-TV

Questionable Messages

Laurence Fishburne is one of my favorite actors, and he is tremendous in this. The problem I had with this movie is the motivations and lessons it portrays. The messages seem to be self-defeating for a black man living in the circumstances he did. There seems to be a cycle, and a simple-mindedness, to his thoughts and behaviors, that will always lead him back to where he is. He tries to find a job with a store, which is a good distance from where he lives. He is told that he lives out of the store's area, and he has no phone. He fumes and complains about the unfairness of it all, but instead of looking for a job closer to where he lives, he wants to continue to press the issue with this particular store, as if this will prove some point. There doesn't seem to be anything to gain here. He continually makes things harder on himself, and then complains that he can't get a break. Of course, the message is to become a more self-reliant man, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but the self-reliance aspect is almost taken to the point of absurdity, and to the point where he is likely to put himself right back in prison. This may be a reality for some people, but it is a reality that has no real, positive outcome. There are better ways to lift himself out of the circumstances he finds himself in, but pursuing solutions that are guaranteed to fail, and the bitterness that follows, pretty well ensures continued poverty.There just wasn't much to uplift you in this movie. Not that there had to be, but I would have much rather seen a more realistic take on a man, who has seen more than his share of hard luck and hard times, struggling to make a better life for himself with whatever the world can offer, instead of dragging himself down when he feels someone has slighted him.The friendship of the young boy was troubling, also. The message Socrates conveys to the kid is that force is what gains respect from your peers. This was a stupid, infantile approach for this at-risk kid. The fact that the kid picks up a gun should not have been surprising to anyone. This would naturally follow exactly the lesson he was trying to teach. The fact is, there were far too many young boys and men prowling those streets who had been taught the same lessons, and now were simply applying what they had learned out on those streets.A very interesting character study of this man, and a fine performance by Laurence Fishburne, but the movie glorified self-destructive thought-processes, and cyclical poverty.

Favorite

I love this movie, in fact this is one of my favorites. The movie came in a timely fashion and was very please with the quality and condition. Thank you.

Hard Struggle

The above comment is completely unfair and racist. Which just goes to show the mindset of those people in the grocery store and how our criminal correction system is flawed in many ways.Having said that, this movie shows the desperate acts a man out of jail has to go to in order to find some employment in this already critical world. He goes on and tries to find a legitimate job but is turned away several times by several supermarkets and has to go COMPLETELY out of his way to find another that doesn't know who he his. He could have easily resorted to criminal acts to gain wealth but in the end his perseverance paid off.

Love, Death, Hero

"You can't save me"Worthwhile movie; almost experimental in its creativity and effort to avoid cliche's. Doesn't really matter whether I think this movie is "Good" or not; it is there; you have time. Watch it; feel it; think it for yourself.

A simple story, that reveals so much

This is one of those movies that's great for some, horrible for others. I don't think there's a middle ground. I happen to love it, mainly for the setting and the score. I, like Socrates, have always liked Los Angeles for it's anonymity, too. Believe it or not, I sometimes go to L.A. to get away from people! That phrase makes perfect sense to anyone who's been to L.A. enough times to really understand the culture there. It really is a land of 10 million passer byes. Only people from immediate areas, and, I mean literally one or two blocks, really know each other. There is very little public transit, subways, etc. Most people in L.A. are at the mercy of their car, and if you can't afford a car, you're at the mercy of your neighborhood, most of which in L.A. are controlled by gangs, and even when the gangsters are asleep, over ran with "common criminals" like the crack addict and the the wardrobe bandit, everyday thugs who disrespect anything and everything, for the sake of disrespecting anything and everything."City of Quartz" by Mike Davis gives about the best theory I've read as to how L.A. wound up this way; So many people, so little communication. Throw in a historically racist police department and, for reasons ranging from political corruption to covert U.S. military strategy, a favorite market for South American drug lords, and you have a perfect storm.This film, instead of focusing on that storm, just focuses on one man and the small circle he's found himself part of, while this storm looms in the back drop. Interestingly enough, this film, and I would assume the book, which I'm yet to read, manages to give the viewer just as much of a glimpse into real Los Angeles as any film that focuses on the storm of racism, corruption, and it's subsequent drug and gang violence in Los Angeles. A true lesson for story tellers.

One of the best

Great cast and great story. Characters are multi-faceted instead of one-dimensional. No clichés and not stereotypical. One of my favorites of Laurence Fishbourne's roles as Socrates Furtlow - a man who's had challenges but still remains strong. I'm surprised that I really like and believe Natalie Cole's performance - she's at her best (in acting department). Cicely Tyson and Bill Cobb are too real - you know a senior citizen just like them, don't you? A movie for my collection - worth seeing again and again and again. I'm a real fan of black movies that show the community - real but with it's positive attributes as well as its challenges - and how folks coming together - just being neighborly - can make a difference in the community. Should be a classic.

Strong story

I really enjoyed the book and now I'm glad I finally saw the movie on video. It was also very good to see that it was produced by actor Larry Fishburn and the author Walter Mosley.

"Always Outnumbered" is such a compelling story. Mosely is not only trying to tell a very good story, he's also making strong social statements. He's trying to get us to understand the human condition and the need to have compassion for those who have made great mistakes in their life.

Socrates, the protaganist in this story, seeks redemption--but not redemption for its own sake. He made a mistake and now he's trying to find a way to get his life back on path, but he's not about doing it for selfish reasons. He just wants people to treat eachother better. Even in his violent way confronting problems, he just wants himself and others to be better. In other words, he doesn't want himself or others to "always be outnumber, always outgunned."

Lastly, I would like to say that production of this film is good. The narration by one of Socrate's friends helps to bring about continuity to the film. The director also using lots of panning shots and bright and dark lighting to convey social alienation of Los Angeles, particularly Watts, where Socrates lives.

This is not a major motion picture, but it's just the type of HBO film that respects a good story.

A big waste of film

What was the purpose of this film? To show us what it's like for a poor black man to live...? Lawrence Fishburne is a good actor, and he always will be, but this movie was just plain boring and never got my attention as "moving". The plot was nowhere to be seen. This movie began and ended with no sense to it. No thought was put into the movie, only how a poor can-collecting black man can hassel a grocery store into getting him a job.
My suggestion of course is to not see this movie, but if your a huge Fishburne fan, go right on ahead, you might enjoy it. The only enjoyment I recieved was how Fishburne took no BS from anyone and how he taught a bad kid a lesson. That was really it, and this was my score:
5/10

Positive comments about "Always Outnumbered"

I came across this movie late one Sunday on HBO. I only got to see the last hour of it, but I was astounded by how moving it was. I tracked down the showtime and made time to watch it.This film is about Laurence Fishburne ‘s attempt to find a place in the society that he left when he committed a terrible crime. There is a slight tinge of Black angst, but that isn't the main point. He could be any man, trying to find a new home and dealing with his past. It takes a long time before people come to accept Mr. Fortlow for what he is, a man in the true sense of the word.He teaches us all a lesson in what it should be like to be a man. Be honest and true to yourself. Deal fairly with others. Do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Simple to say, hard to do when you are always outnumbered

The Intelligent Bum

By giving him the name Socrates, Laurence Fishburne's character is an attempt to place him as an intelligent bum in the same way that Samuel L. Jackson appeared as the intelligent gangster in 'Pulp Fiction'. Fishburne does look menacing, but is not convincing as an intelligent bum who tries to get a job in the supermarket. I certainly wouldn't hire him.

Not worth the time or money

This film was an HBO film, so I figured it would be rather good. The movie starts out very slow and never fully explains the story which is the foundation for the movie. It does have some good "smaller" stories in the movie for younger children, but I would never show this movie to my children. It portrays the life of a black ex-con trying to make a living and make a diffeence in L.A. Although this may sound like an inspiring movie, it was not. The backlighting of the movie was very dim which made it hard to pay attention. If you like slow movies, then this one is for you. If you like movies that keep the interest level high, this movie is not for you.

POWERFUL

Laurence Fishburne delivers one of his best performances. This is a powerful and emotional movie with heartfelt characters. Bill Cobbs also has one of his best performances. The movie shows poverty, human struggle and life on the streets. L. Fishburne plays an ex-con who trys to only do good in life and survive in the ghetto. He has a major effect on everyone around him and wont let the streets bring him down. This is a great movie and one of my favorite films. I recomend it to any one who likes real-life dramas.

An absolutely outstanding film.

I do not recall the first time I saw this film, but I was so positively impressed with the story and acting that my daughter bought the DVD and book for me. And this was when the DVD still cost a small fortune! Mr. Socrates Fortlo is a very complex individual who is just trying to do the right thing. His friends and neighbors recognize his natural leadership abilities and they routinely come to him with their problems. The narration is a nice touch too. He has a code of honor that he maintains, and he just wants to do the right thing... and he attempts to pass his code of honor on to the next generation. This film should be a "must watch" for everyone.

disjointed and needed

i have lots of white friends and none of them know what it is like to be me. and to make things worse, i don't know what it is like to be Socrates Fortlow. And that's how the circle goes. Socrates doesn't know what it is like to be me either. Life continues...

Socrates Fortlow was told in book form years ago. Now, it is brought to us via the tube starring many black actors and actresess in top form. There are lots of weird script troubles, but if you can get past them, this is a very good flick. Socrates is a good guy who has a problem fighting his past. All he wants is to get a job and help his friends. His friends problems stem from marital trouble, murder, physical illness and just plain emotional stress. But, Socrates is there to help even if it means his freedom. Good man, good film.

The book is a bunch of stories just thrown in at us and we readers are supposed to put the good parts together and make it make sense. I enjoyed the book, but I am not stupid to its problems. The movie does away with everything but the essense of the story and puts it all together completely out of order. But that doesn't matter because it doesn't matter how you read the story. It's perfect bathroom reading. Go through a chapter on the john, bookmark the page and move on. If you don't bookmark the page, so what? You missed nothing.

Socrates was named by his mom, hoping that having a smart man's name would make him smart. he messed that up early with a prison sentence when he was young. Socco, as his friends call him (his story inappropriately told in voice-over) has been in jail for rape and murder. he is finally out and trying to live his life. he is a naturally violent man who sees life the way we should all see it but deals with it in ways that we should all refrain from.

Most of the essense from the book is in this film with a few embelishes. A good deal of the other stuff was thrown out completely. For the most part, I am astounded at how easily screenwriter/author Mosely puts this thing together while erasing a lot of his artist's integrity. Not many author's would dissect their books in such a way unless they were made believers.


I imagined a worked out Danny Glover as the lead instead of Larry Fishburne. Fishburne is way too young for the part and Glover has the notoriously big hands so celebrated in the novel. But since Fishburne EP'd the project it probably never would have been make without him. All in all, good job.


I think I will put together a LIST about movies and books that tell the black story. That way, it would be easier for white society to see the difference as shown to us in this flick.

socrates fortlow comes alive on the screen

After seeing the HBO movie Always Outnumbered,Always Outgunned, I immediately went out and purchased Walter Mosely's book. The book, like the movie sucks you in and makes you feel the pain that Socrates Fortlow (Laurence Fishburne) has experienced and how he's trying to rebuild his life after prison. The story is captivating and the characters seem as real as life. Watch this movie, you won't regret it.

A superb strength-of-character film

Socrates Fortlow, imprisoned 17 years for murder, paroles to a depressed section of L.A. determined to harness the demon of his imprisonment: his anger. Despite being tempted and almost yielding to the demon, he manages to become a community asset. His strength, compassion and controlled rage encompass my favorite performance by Lawrence Fishburne. A must-see inspirational film exceptionally performed.

Glad I Stumbled Upon this Movie!

I was channel surfing when I found this film, and I was stopped in my tracks. Fishburne is excellent as "Socrates". Very enjoyable film. I will eventually purchase this one.

Awesome film about real life problems and challenges...

I saw this film on HBO and was blown away by both the story and the acting by Lawrence Fishburne. This film is very unusual for America, in my opinion, in that it does not emphasize gratuitous violence, sex, and all the other "fast food" components of many of Hollywood blockbusters. Instead, it focuses on the individual and how that individual deals with life's real problems. It is about taking responsibility for one's actions, making the best of one has, redemption, friendship, love, being genuine and humane, doing the best that you can even when the odds are not tipped in your favor. It is not necessarily a better film than the blockbusters: it is a different film - it is good for the soul. I think it makes you a little bit better person after you see it and give it some thought. Just my .02.

A superior film with a meaningful message

This can be a tough video to find, but when I finally did it turned out to be well worth the effort. This is a great film, it rates right up with "Citizen X" as one of the best made for HBO movies. Laurence Fishburne is terrific as Socrates Fortlow, an ex-con living in inner L.A. and attempting to carve a new life for himself while just barely getting by. Fishburne gives the character real grit, anger, and pride, but most of all he shows us a man who is committed to living life honorably after making some very serious mistakes. You can feel the frustration of a man who is trying to live right in a world that is seldom fair, but he won't give in to the temptation to make an easy buck or to compromise his principles. The film is presented as a series of intertwining stories about the people in Fortlow's life, and the other actors in the film are superb - there is never a moment that doesn't feel real. The stories all have meaning - love, prejudice, empathy, sorrow, friendship, honor and death. It's not often that a film says this much without seeming to, and it's not often you see a film this moving. If your video store doesn't have it, be like Socrates and just keep coming back and protesting loudly until they do.

I was very impressed with this movie

This was a strange yet very rewarding movie you learned form the characters , about pride and helplessness and survival..I have watched this movie more than once I found the character very compelling, I recomend it highly