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Film: Ride Along
Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill, Tika Summer, Brian Callen, Gary Owen, Jay Pharoah.
Director: Tim Story
Cinema: Eastgate
Running time: 99 minutes
Type of film: Gangster/Comedy
Age restriction: 16
Reviewed by Joel White

We are in Atlanta, the capital of the southern state of Georgia, one of the original thirteen founding states of America.

The time is the present and the film will be long remembered if only because it gives to Kevin Hart a role which overshadows the California born superstar Ice Cube, now in his 50th year.

As James, a plain clothes policeman, Ice Cube is given the thankless task of supervising Ben Burke (Kevin Hunt), applying for a position on the police department.

As a reward, all that James receives is the chance to watch Ben Burke steal the film right out from under him.

The relationship between the cop and the would be cop goes deeper. Ben is living with James’ sister without the benefit of matrimony and has been without employment for a long time. In presenting a cops and robbers film, Hollywood has long understood it is in a ticklish position.

Blacks in America make up 11 percent of the population and almost half of the prison population.

Black political leaders ascribe this to the paucity of opportunities available to blacks from childhood on, a prejudice which clearly characterised my early years, and one which has only in recent years been, to some degree, alleviate.

The plot of the film, in those moments when Kevin Hart is not “playing the clown,” which he does to perfection, is in the police search for the master-criminal Omar.

Omar is played by John Leguizano, born in Colombia in 1964 and one of the reasons this film is given the highest recommendation.

In presenting urban blacks as   conscientious law-enforcement officers, it is at least a step in the right direction.

It is a pleasure for me to be a part and contributor of setting the picture in accord with recent statistical developments.

As a white American, I have abhorred the one sided picture almostalways presented of the blacks role in American life.