Stream one of the best cop movies of the 1990s

From the safe: As the streaming arena continues to grow, more and more extensive studio catalogs are becoming available. This includes lost and forgotten gems, bad-good-good duds and just plain weird pieces of film history. And you probably won’t find them waiting for streamers to put them in front of you. In from the safe Android authority aims to save these titles from the algorithm graveyard and help you get more out of your streaming subscriptions.

Bill Duke’s 1992 crime drama Deep Cover is streamed on HBO Max and is an absolute masterpiece of neo noir cinema worth watching on the streamer ASAP.

The story of an undercover cop who loses faith in the system he is part of is as smart and original as ever, with killer performances and painfully relevant themes of police corruption and social inequalities.

Below we go into why Deep Cover on HBO Max is worth saving from the vault.

In Deep Cover, Laurence Fishburne plays DEA agent Russell Stevens, who goes undercover as drug dealer John Hull to break up a drug trafficking ring.

Working with cunning attorney David Jason (Jeff Goldblum), he rises through the LA underworld and climbs his way to the top by fitting in with the people he has vowed to defeat.

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But as he climbs the ranks, Russell is plagued with questions about his own complicity. The ultimate goal of his superiors is world politics and the dubious influence of the US government in South America. Its simple goal of keeping people out of drugs and prison – or worse – is not shared by those in charge.

Deep Cover was well received in 1992, but it has grown in importance over time.

It was also recently added to the Criterion Collection, with a gorgeous Blu-ray and DVD release and the prestige that comes with the cinephile imprint.

Stylish neo noir filmmaking

Director Bill Duke gives Deep Cover an incredibly stylish energy. His creative and impressive use of light and shadow gives the film a decidedly noir aesthetic. It fits perfectly with its story of duplicitous, shadowy characters, crime, racism, and urban decay.

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Neon lights, smoky pool halls and Fishburnes mesmerizing voice-over narration make the film seem somehow timeless and very topical.

In addition, the deep cover soundtrack includes original music by Dr. Dre and the then newcomer Snoop Dogg. The restrained hip-hop soundscape provides an ideal, atmospheric backdrop for perfect performances by Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum.

Deep Cover on HBO Max: A brutally honest, stylized portrait of the police

“Cynical” is a word that appears in many 1992 Deep Cover reviews. It’s a word that seems to fit the film’s vision of the thin, sometimes imperceptible, line between cops and criminals.

Russell, or John as we know him for most of the film, ponders the worth of human life in voice over after killing a man in cold blood. Nobody will follow him, he says. The life of a black criminal is not high enough on the police radar to care. That is not the kind of justice he advocated. But it is by no means an exception. The deeper it penetrates, the more the lines between right and wrong become blurred. The more he loses confidence in law enforcement as an authority to deal with these problems.

Are the police really trying to make the streets safer? Safer for whom? Is the war on drugs really about curbing addiction and the black market? Is it just a tool of imperialism for the US government? Deep Cover strongly opposes the prevailing narrative that leads us to believe that the police are watching our interests when targeting drug trafficking.

Is that cynicism? Maybe. But it’s also a raw, ruthless look at the injustices that plague the criminal justice system, where racism and corruption reign. It’s a stylized, warped, and exaggerated look, but it’s ultimately based on honesty.

Deep Cover is one of the best cop films of all time. And it was way ahead of its time, barely dealing with mainstream issues.

It’s a real blessing that you can see Deep Cover on HBO Max. Dont miss it.