Double Take (2001) (PG-13) No Rating

Review Date: January 12th, 2001

Orlando Jones is a banker who goes on the run from the CIA, the FBI and a drug lord after getting mixed up in a political scheme that makes very little sense.

Story

There's nothing more annoying than watching a film and realizing you've already seen the best scenes in the trailer. Daryl Chase (Jones) is a stand-up banking professional who enjoys his fine Italian suits and his Perrier. But his world gets turned upside down when he's mistaken for a murderer and is forced to make a run for the border to hide from Mafia goons and government agents -- not to mention Freddy Tiffany (Eddie Griffin), a fast-talking hoodlum who's either trying to help him or turn him in. Makes little sense? Thought so.

Acting

No doubt Griffin's antics, which are rehashed from his character on TV's "Malcolm & Eddie," are supposed to provide this dud's comedy relief -- à la Eddie Murphy -- to break up the shoot-'em-up action scenes. But his best lines are used in the trailers and by the time you hear Griffin reciting them up on the big screen, all you can muster is a forced chuckle. Especially painful to watch is the scene where street-smart Freddy tries to teach uptown snob Daryl how to act "black."

Direction

There's only so much a director can do with a film that's troubled from the very beginning. Director George Gallo ("Trapped in Paradise") put together a film with an utterly confusing main story and subplots that lead to dead ends. It's hard to stay focused when characters flip-flop from being good guys to bad guys. Most of the confusion is cleared up at the very end of the film, but by that time, who cares?

Bottom line

"Double Take" is too painful to even look at once.