"Waist Deep" is a better movie than the trailer and box blurb make it sound, which push it as yet another violent gangsta flick. While it is violent, and does involve gangs, the film is given an enormous boost by some terrific performances, a can't-miss plot, and some surprisingly poignant quiet moments. It ain't perfect by any means, but deserves to find the audience it didn't get in theaters.

Tyrese Gibson plays O2, an ex-con on parole who's doing his best to keep a legitimate job and raise his son at the same time. His son is later kidnaped during a car-jacking, masterminded by vicious drug lord Big Meat (The Game), whom O2 used to do jobs with. Big Meat thinks O2 has $100,000 stashed from a job they did before O2's incarceration, and gives him roughly 24 hours to come up with the money or he'll kill his son. The problem is O2 didn't stash the cash (the mother of his son took off with it), so now he has to find a way to score a hundred grand. The other problem is O2 already has two strikes against him; one more and he'll be sent to prison for life, and because he's caught on camera in a gunfight while trying to save his kid, he can't go to the police. With the initially reluctant help of street hustler, Coco (Meagan Good), and slacker cousin, Lucky (Lorenz Tate), who makes things worse despite his good intentions, O2 puts together a plan to start a war between Big Meat and a rival ganglord by stealing from both of them. Part of that plan involves robbing several safe deposit boxes, which also puts the entire L.A. police force on their tails. The film isn't without its narrative problems; everything is too patly resolved at the end, and there are several plot points that should have been expanded (such as the bank robbery sequences), which would have increased the viewer's stake in what these characters are going through. Instead, we feel they just waltzed in and out of these banks without breaking a sweat; there's no tension at all. When the movie does choose to focus on the action, the scenes are well-executed with hand-held cameras that give the film the gritty tone it needs. But despite all that, this really isn't an action film. This may turn off would-be thrill seekers looking for mindless, shoot-'em-up violence, but "Waist Deep" is, at its heart, about two people's desperate attempt to keep a family together. Yeah, O2 is a badass mofo if forced to be, but all he really wants is to give his son the life he never had. The script does an outstanding job developing the relationship between father & son before all the mayhem begins, and an equally good job revealing Coco's motivation in helping O2. None of this would be possible without good characters, and both Gibson & Good essentially carry the weight of the whole movie with their dynamic performances. At times, they are forced to say some stupid things, but their relationship eventually becomes the emotional crux of the movie. Without trying to give too much away, while I personally think the movie would have benefitted enormously from a "Thelma & Louise"-type ending, the ultimately predictable resolution is still somewhat satisfying, mainly because we like the two lead characters so much.

The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. For the most part, the overall image is decent, though there is some grain at times. The audio is rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital, which sounds great and has good balance. At least, we aren't overwhelmed by the numerous rap songs permeating the soundtrack.

Unfortunately, the extras are fairly lackluster. There are to brief behind-the-scenes featurettes, one about the film's use of cars, the other which breaks down the filming of the car-jacking sequence (which is, admittedly, one of the more dynamic scenes in the film). Also included are some deleted scenes and a rap music video.

"Waist Deep" is a better movie than you think it's gonna be, and features two great lead performances by Gibson & Good, both of who essentially carry the whole movie. Though their isn't necessarily a lot of action, what's here is deftly handled. A flop at the box office, this one might actually play better in your living room, where you're expectations are more likely to be confounded. Recommended.