Life (1999) – Review

Directed by Ted Demme

In the past week I’ve been watching a lot of stand-up comedy, in particular I’ve had a chance to watch ‘The Original Kings of Comedy’ starring Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac. All of which are accomplished comedians in their own right.

Set in the 1930′s ‘Life’ stars Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, with a great supporting cast. The ‘Life’ takes us on a journey that spans 60 years. The film is about two people who meet unexpectadly, and are framed for murder, the sentence they are dealt is life. The title of the film encompasses so much of the film because it symbolises a journey where life stands still for the two main characters, but the world outside moves on. Coupled with a director who allows his actors to explore their characters, a well developed story and great performances by Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. It’s not your conventional urban comedy…

I have no doubt the writers’ took some inspiration from Stuart Rosenberg’s ‘Cool Hand Luke’ and Frank Darabont’s ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. Having said that, ‘Life’ stands on its own as being very unique, because it’s the mixture of tragedy and comedy (that are so hard to pull off right) that creates such an indelible film.

A definite watch.

8/10