Bucum: Ice Cube	Reggie: Mike Epps
Robert: Tommy Flanagan	Ursula: Carmen Chaplin
Martinez: Anthony Giaimo	Gina: Eva Mendes
Pam: Valarie Rae Miller	Ramose: Roger Guenveur Smith
Director: Kevin Bray

30 Second Bottom Line: A bounty hunter teams up with a criminal on the run when they realize that they can help each other fulfill two important missions. One wants to find $20 million in diamonds and the other a $60 million lottery ticket.

Story Line: Bucum (Ice Cube) is a "bull in a china shop" bounty hunter who is trying to bring in the petty criminal fugitive Reggie (Mike Epps). Bucum stumbles upon a jewelry heist while chasing Reggie and before you know it, Reggie has the diamonds and the bad guys have his girlfriend Gina (Eva Mendes) along with his winning lottery ticket.

Tell Me More About It: The ignorance in movies like this makes my blood boil. Although the plot is interesting and the production values of the film outstanding, that can't overcome the ghetto mentality that pervades this film from beginning to end.

Of the approximately 300 films I see each year, nothing comes to mind that is in the same solar system as this film with respect to the gratuitous use of the N, B, F and MF words. The dialogue in the film is analogous to what I dislike most about some hip hop music¾its disrespect of people in general and women in particular. To say the film is politically incorrect would be a compliment. Consider a phrase like "…money so tall, that all the b------ will fall" or when Reggie has to jump the distance of about one flight of stairs with handcuffs on that he observes, "Do you want to see me end up like Christopher Reeves?"

The overall plot is decent and would have been more interesting if so much had not been dumbed down. There are R movies and there are R movies. Some parents don't get it when the rating says "pervasive language." An R-rated movie like Ali is in a different stratosphere than this one when it comes to taking young children to see a movie so that you don't have to pay for a baby sitter.

It's not fair to quibble about the illogical events any more than would be the case in an Arnold Schwarzenegger or James Bond film. Some of the silly action and quips in the film are funny, as when Reggie is pretending to be the first black American President or posing as the hood ornament on a Rolls Royce.

African-Americans allegedly did not support the film Baby Boy last year because of its continued link to the ghetto. It had something positive to say about living in the ghetto while this film has a ghetto mentality that will fool the fools.

As much as I'd like to give this film zero stars, it's not as dumb as most Martin Lawrence movies and some of the acting is quite good. Mike Epps is quick witted; Tommy Flanagan is the ultimate bad guy; Eva Mendes and Valarie Rae Miller are sexy and intelligent while being silly and funny as they stick by and support the loves of their lives. Most noteworthy of all is Roger Guenveur Smith as Ramose, the photographer who masterminds a 20 million dollar jewel theft with an over the top performance that one can't help but admire.

Ice Cube is a decent actor and he co wrote the script. As soon as he loses the "you know what I'm saying mentality," he can move on and become an excellent writer and director. We all want to grow based upon our experiences, and I expect that Ice Cube can one day deliver something that is light years ahead of All About the Benjamins. I just don't want to wait light years for that to happen.

Rated R for gratuitous & pervasive language, strong violence and brief sexuality

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Ice Cube: Ghosts of Mars	Mike Epps: Dr. Doolittle 2
Tommy Flanagan: Gladiator; Ratcatcher	Carmen Chaplin: Why not me?
Anthony Giaimo: Striptease	Eva Mendes: Training Day
Valarie Rae Miller: Dark Angel -TV	Roger Guenveur Smith: Final Destination
Kevin Bray: I Knew I Loved You