Story: Detective Frank Divinci (Jim Belushi) has big plans for his retirement, as he wants to live in a tropical paradise and sip umbrella drinks, without a care in the world. Of course, on his salary that isn’t likely to happen, so he hatched a plot with his partner Detective Rodriguez (Tupac Shakur), to build a nest egg faster. The two set up drug deals with local pushers, confiscate the product and any cash, then kill the dealers, framing the incident like a conflict between rival gangs. The plan seems to work well for a while, until an undercover agent winds up dead in one of their setups, creating an instant panic within Divinci and Rodriguez. Davinci tries to keep his cool and hang the murder on a homeless man (Dennis Quaid), but as things go off the rails and the pressure mounts, can Davinci keep his tropical dreams alive?

Entertainment Value: Gang Related has kept a low profile in the decades since it was released, but it remains a gritty, well crafted crime thriller with a terrific cast. The story might not have an original premise, but it plays out in interesting ways and held my attention, without question. So yes, we have seen all this before and there aren’t many surprises, but Gang Related still works quite well. The cast is one reason, but there’s also a grounded tone to the material that meshes well with a light sense of humor, provided by Jim Belushi’s character as he pivots from violence to cracking jokes. The paranoia helps boost the script as well, with slowly ratcheting tension that is well executed and rarely feels cheap. I can’t say the movie provides a sense of realism, but it does attempt to remain within reasonable suspension of disbelief, while also working in some convenient moments to make sure the story stays on track. Gang Related had me hooked from the start and I was invested until the credits ran, so I am giving this a high recommendation.

The cast of Gang Related is strong and I appreciated all of the performances, but Jim Belushi is the standout and he really brings the corruption into his corrupt cop. Belushi is a total slimeball in this one, so you can not only totally see him doing all this stuff, but you really want to see him suffer some consequences. As a result, I was invested in the narrative and that elevated the entire movie, since I wasn’t just passively watching, but wanted to see Belushi brought down. I’d consider that a high compliment to his performance, as that means his portrayal hooked me in and made me care how it all turned out. He is also able to know just when to put some humor into the mix, which again improves the entire picture. The cast also includes Tupac Shakur, Gary Cole, Dennis Quaid, Lela Rochon, James Earl Jones, Robert LaSardo, Wendy Crewson, and David Paymer.

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