Gridlock’d (1997)
In Gridlock’d Tupac returns the center stage as a junkie who decides to get into rehab after dropping off his girlfriend at an emergency center when she OD’s. Compared to his previous two roles as a thug in Above The Rim and Bullet this is certainly a step in the right direction and it showcases his reach as an actor. Even though the movie is about junkies trying to quit the movie never really deals with getting sick and that is the hardest part to act so it’s a shame we never get to see Tupac tackle that part of playing a junkie. What is also interesting is that Tupac has a fair amount of shirt-less scenes so we actually get a good look at some of the scars that are a result of a shooting on november 1994.
Gridlock’d is a low-key gritty movie about two junkies who are trying to get into rehab but stumble upon walls of bureaucracy and piss off some local drug dealer all in the same day. The movie requires Tupac to be an actor instead of doing his regular gangster shtick. He’s convincing and got good reviews (especially from Ebert & Siskel on At The Movies), as did the movie in general. However, despite the critical praise the movie did not do very well at the box-office and made only $5.5 million. It was released January 29, 1997, four months after Tupac’s death and the movie refers to his death before the end-credits role: For Tupac “One Love” R.I.P.
You can read my review here.
