Plot[]
A family tragedy leaves deep scars and inspires two brothers to choose different paths in their future. Jason (Allen Payne) is a responsible young man who works as a sales clerk in a television repair shop and lives at home with his hard-working mom, Gloria (Suzzanne Douglas). Joshua (Bokeem Woodbine) is the younger brother, who is just released from prison. Previously traumatized by his father, Joshua becomes a volatile, disturbed ex-con who is obviously bound for a violent end. Joshua deals drugs for short-term cash and joins a crew scheming a bank robbery.
One day in the middle of his working hour, a beautiful young woman whose name later revealed to be Lyric (Jada Pinkett Smith), walks into the shop to buy a television. Jason is instantly mesmerized by her stunning beauty that he desperately tries everything to pursue and woo her, such as: giving her a rose bouquet he bought randomly from strangers when he follows her home. Lyric initially resists Jason's smooth talking, but his persistence, determination, sincerity and humor eventually melt her initial cold heart. As Jason spends more times with Lyric and gets to know more about her, he comes to fall genuinely in love with her, found new happiness and inspired to do more romantic things to win her heart. Such as: borrowing a city bus to take her on a date, setting up a mock of candlelight dinner in an abandoned bus station, riding in a rowboat in the bayou until the two end up kissing and making passionate love in the woods that magically turns into flower fields; representing their wild dreams. Jason even starts to think about leaving home as he is inspired by Lyric's dreams of an escape and longs for a peaceful life.
Despite Jason has finally gained his wish of dating Lyric, throughout the film, Jason is still often haunted by the nightmares of the tragedy in his childhood. Either young Jason (Sean Hutchinson) or young Joshua (Burleigh Moore) killed their father, Mad Dog (Forest Whitaker), when he drunkenly attacked their mother, it is still unclear. This nightmare makes Jason feels conflicted between his love for his family and his girlfriend, Lyric. Meanwhile, Alonzo (Treach) is setting up a plan to rob a bank with his gang and Joshua joins in. One day, Lyric eavesdrops on their conversations about the bank robbery plan that she immediately tells Jason about it. Lyric warns Jason to not to cross her brother, Alonzo, and Jason promises her to just talk to his brother followed by offering her a literal escape the town together, which Lyric delightfully accepts. They agree to meet at the bayou.
Unfortunately, the robbery does not go as planned as Joshua comes in late. Most significantly, he causes bedlam by independently terrorizing and beating the customers of the bank, despite he does get in the getaway car with his gang when the heist is over. As punishment, Joshua is whipped by the rest of Alonzo's gang. Jason informs his mother that he and Lyric are thinking about moving town together, which his mother reluctantly supports. Joshua returns home severely wounded, Jason and their mother are horrified and quickly treat him. Jason is furious upon learning that Alonzo has brutally tortured his brother, so he decides to confront his girlfriend's brother, to exact revenge. After the confrontation, the two engage in a vicious fight in a public restroom, thus Jason breaks his promise to Lyric.
Having broken his promise, Jason meets Lyric at the bayou as planned, but she immediately sees the sign of otherwise. Jason states that he cannot leave with her because Joshua needs him, much to Lyric's chagrin. When Lyric furiously confronts about why he keeps having the nightmares that made him feels obligated to keep saving his ungrateful brother, he eventually explains more detail about his tragic family history by revealing himself as the one who took the gun from Joshua, intending to stop their abusive dad from harming their mother further. But he accidentally shot Mad Dog in the chest instead, thus killing him instantly. This guilty feeling explains why he feels obligated to his family. Finally understand, Lyric comforts Jason, but warns him as well that they cannot be together unless he walks away from his obviously incorrigible brother. In the evening, while watching his family pictures through the slide projector, his mother states that she has now approved Jason's wish to leave the town with Lyric and be happy, convincing him that he owes her and Joshua nothing nor did he kill Mad Dog. Joshua overhears and assumes that Jason is leaving not only because of Lyric, but also because Alonzo may take revenge. Growing jealous, Joshua plans to kill them all in order to keep his brother from leaving.
Joshua is preparing the gun in the bar. Unbeknownst to him, Rat (Eddie Griffin), Jason's good friend, notices him and quickly aware of Joshua's intentions. As Jason finishes packing his stuffs, Rat quickly informs him about Joshua's attempt to kill Alonzo and anyone connected or related to him, including Lyric. As Alonzo and his girlfriend as well as Lyric's co-worker, Marti (Lisa Nicole Carson), go out for a date, Joshua arrives shortly after they are gone. He begins mercilessly shooting down Alonzo's two crew members and successfully found Lyric in her bedroom. Jason and his friends make their ways to Lyric's house, but their car is stopped by an oncoming train, thus Jason decides to get off his car and runs across the speeding train. Jason finally arrives safely at Lyric's home just in time. As he steps over Alonzo's crews' dead bodies, he picks the scattered gun from the floor, just in case, and rushes upstairs looking for Lyric. He finds Joshua pointing his gun at Lyric's neck while asking about Alonzo's whereabouts and venting his jealousy over her for taking away his older brother. Jason carefully steps in and convinces Joshua not to kill Lyric. After getting into a heated argument that concludes his younger brother remains unchanged, Jason has eventually had enough and draws the gun to Joshua as well. However, Joshua accidentally shoots Lyric, much to Jason's horror. Upon realized he might lose the woman he loves and his chance at happiness to be with her, Jason has finally made up his mind to rather save Lyric, followed by reminding her to stick with their plan to leave the town together, while weeping for her unconscious body. He could finally bring himself to ignore Joshua's apology and his pleas to not giving up on him.
Still weeping, Jason carries the injured Lyric out of her home to a growing crowd outside and takes her to the waiting ambulance. Joshua is fed up with his life upon realizing to have got no one to rely on that he decides to end it all by killing himself (off screen), in earshot of everyone outside. The film ends with Jason and the now-recovered Lyric ride a bus together, leaving town and start a new life; however, some versions are edited out this part.
Cast[]
- Allen Payne as Jason Alexander
- Sean Hutchinson – Jason (age 11)
- Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric
- Bokeem Woodbine as Joshua Alexander
- Burleigh Moore – Joshua (age 8)
- Anthony 'Treach' Criss as Alonzo "A-1"
- Eddie Griffin as Rat
- Suzzanne Douglas as Gloria
- Lisa Nicole Carson as Marti
- Forest Whitaker as Maddog
- Wayne Dehart as Street Preacher
- Asheamu Earl Randle as Teddy.