Despite a clich?(c)d plot filled with predictable events, "A Man Apart" somehow manages to work.
Vin Diesel plays Sean Vetter, the best drug enforcement agent ever. With his partner, Demetrius Hicks (Larenz Tate), Vetter manages to bust one of the top cocaine suppliers in South America. Later, two thugs try to kill Vetter - and end up whacking his wife, instead.
Vetter's reaction to his wife's death is typical of an action-movie hero: he makes plans to inflict some good, old-fashioned revenge on the people responsible for his wife's murder.
Along with friend and possible drug-dealer Big Sexy (George Sharperson), Vetter and Hicks start their scheme at the bottom of the ladder. Beginning with a local dealer, they work their way through the Diablo cartel all the way to the new leader, killing just about everyone who even vaguely resembles a bad guy. More importantly, they make sure to crack clever quips along the way.
The obvious clich?(c)s of the film stand out: Vetter becomes a terrible cop after his wife's death, though he remains on the force as he breaks every police brutality law in the book. His anger and pain show through not because of subtlety in the acting or writing, but because Vetter grows a goatee.
Despite this obvious outward sign of distress, Vetter is allowed to head up the investigation of his own wife's murder. Logic and realism aside the film makes an impossible premise work.
Visually, the film is incredible. It is shot beautifully and originally. Shaky camera work in the action sequences is used to high effect, giving audiences an authentic feeling of confusion.
The murder scene is well-constructed, especially when details such as Vetter's negligence toward fixing bullet holes and broken windows in his home emphasize the emotional context of the scenes; not only is Vetter a man apart, but a man in the ruins of his former life.
As the film ends, Vetter returns to his wife's grave for closure and the audience can tell everything's going to be all right. Not only is it not raining as he says his farewells, but Diesel has finally shaved off his goatee.
One of the best shots in "A Man Apart" takes place when Vetter confronts one of his main adversaries, an escaped drug dealer. After a brief conversation, Vetter walks away, followed by the camera. As if crawling out of woodwork, the scene is suddenly strewn with undercover cops, soldiers, and army helicopters as the scene rumbles into a full-blown riot.
The film was also very well directed. Diesel plays himself in every movie, and with the exception of "Boiler Room" they've all been clich?(c)s. The problem with movies like "The Fast And The Furious" is that they seem to obviously cater to market research, featuring one-dimensional character-archetypes such "the tough guy," "the funny sidekick," "the love interest," and "the bad guy." With these films, it seems as if the filmmakers aren't even attempting to make a good movie.
This is not the case with "A Man Apart." Director F. Gary Gray has taken a worn-out plot and some one-dimensional characters and succeeded in making an excellent film. Given how rare that kind of effort is in this genre, it seems like someone in Hollywood might have made a mistake - hiring an actual artist instead of a hack. The mistake works out in everyone's favor, though, since "A Man Apart" puts Tate back in the spotlight and affords Diesel some much needed credibility.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
