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BONES

New Line's BONES, starring Snoop Dogg
© 2001 New Line

Too bad the character is neutered by an ill-conceived movie cribbing from an endless array of horror films that have come before. However, as much as BONES pays homage to exploitation and horror pictures of the past, it also falls prey to them as well. Tonally, the movie is all over the map and the story is so choppy that it feels as if it was edited by a pair of gardening sheers.

Director Ernest Dickerson, who did much better with the like-minded TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS DEMON KNIGHT, doesn't have any idea what to do here with this urban tale of Jimmy Bones (Dogg), protector of a thriving urban jungle (in 1979) who is prematurely whacked when he won't sell out his 'hood to entrepreneurs wanting to introduce crack into the system. Naturally he comes back for revenge some 20 odd years later.

Big Mistake #1: The movie finds a modern

Snoop Dogg and Pam Grier back in the 70s in BONES

© 2001 New Line Cinema

Big Mistake #2: Too many fake scares. Horror movies rely on this gimmick all the time, but when it's overused like it is here, you just want to strangle the filmmaker. You know the fake scare is coming, so why not try to go against audience expectations and try something different.

Big Mistake #3: BONES sounds like a cool idea, but it ain't cool. When your lead actor is cooler than anything going on in the actual film, then what's the point?

To the movie's credit, Dickerson utilizes a lot of neat in-camera make-up effect tricks that definitely give the movie a gritty and sometimes retro feel. The film also manages to conjure up a few creepy moments that are totally reliant on mood, shadows and atmosphere, though they're sabotaged most of the time by poor camera placement and hokey digital trickery. However, wisely the film is played less serious as it goes along - someone decided to make the audience laugh with it instead of at it before it's all over. There are some really out of place, but quite funny, dark comedy moments added to the mix that keep the latter half lively. It doesn't make up for the largely unoriginal movie, but at least it gives the audience something to feel other than a pain in the ass for sitting in their seat for 90 minutes of blaxploitation mumbo jumbo.

While CANDYMAN did this urban thing so much better, it's obvious this low budget movie doesn't need to make much money to warrant a sequel. Maybe next time they'll do something with the concept instead of burying Dogg's BONES in predictable horror movie inanity.