Life (1999)
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Two men wrongfully convicted of murder must navigate life in a high-security prison while navigating the complexities of their friendship.
The story
In 1932, two very different New Yorkers, Ray Gibson and Claude Banks, meet at a club and become entangled in a series of events that leads to their wrongful conviction for murder. Sentenced to life in the Mississippi State Penitentiary, the two men must navigate the harsh realities of prison life while dealing with the consequences of their actions and the complexities of their friendship. As they face years of incarceration, they must find ways to survive and maintain their identities in a system designed to break them.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story is framed as a tale told by an elderly inmate about his friends, Ray and Claude, who were wrongfully convicted of murder in 1932. After being framed by a sheriff, they are sentenced to life in a Mississippi prison. Over the decades, they experience the hardships of prison life, including a failed escape attempt, the loss of friends, and a period of estrangement after a fellow inmate is released. In 1972, they reconcile and are eventually moved to a mansion where they encounter the man who framed them. After a confrontation leads to his death, they are promised pardons but are left in the infirmary. In 1997, they stage a final escape by setting the infirmary on fire and posing as corpses, eventually reuniting in New York City to live freely.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ted Demme
- Writers
- Robert Ramsey · writer; Matthew Stone · writer
- Cast and characters
- Eddie Murphy · Ray Gibson; Martin Lawrence · Claude Banks; Ned Beatty; R. Lee Ermey; Obba Babatundé; Bernie Mac; Anthony Anderson; Miguel A. Núñez Jr.
- Genres
- comedy-drama; crime comedy
- Themes
- miscarriage of justice; friendship; racism; resilience
- Tone and mood
- comedy; drama
- Premise and plot tags
- prison; buddy film; wrongful conviction
- Reception
- The film was a box office bomb but has since gained a strong cult following among fans of the lead actors.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Makeup · nominated; NAACP Image Award · Outstanding Motion Picture · 2000 · nominated; BMI Film & TV Awards · Most Performed Song from a Film · 2000 · won; Blockbuster Entertainment Awards · Favorite Comedy Team · 2000 · nominated; Blockbuster Entertainment Awards · Favorite Song from a Movie (Fortunate) · 2000 · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was the second collaboration between Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.; It was filmed in California despite being set in Mississippi.; The film's opening weekend held the record for the biggest opening for a non-sequel R-rated comedy until 2000.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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