Bait (2000)

• Year: 2000
• Released: 15 Sep 2000
• Country: Canada, United States
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211938/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bait
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bait
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
• Runtime: 119 min
• Writer: Andrew Scheinman, Adam Scheinman, Tony Gilroy
• Director: Antoine Fuqua
• Cast: Jamie Foxx, David Morse, Robert Pastorelli
• Keywords: ex-con,

	5.7/10
	39/100

Bait Storyline

In New York, Alvin Sanders is a small-time thief who’s just been hauled in for stealing a bunch of prawns (shrimp) from a local restaurant. He ends up in a cell with John Jaster, one half of a high-tech criminal team that’s just stolen $42,000,000 worth of gold from the Federal Reserve. Realizing that he could die at any moment from his worsening heart condition, Jaster tells Alvin to relay a cryptic message to his wife about the whereabouts of the hidden gold. Alvin doesn’t know exactly what the message means, and Edgar Clenteen, the U.S. Treasury investigator working the case, hopes it will lead to the gold or Jaster’s partner Bristol, but it does neither. Eighteen months later, Jaster is dead, and both Clenteen and Bristol are still looking for that gold. Clenteen decides to secretly plant a tracking device in Alvin’s jaw, release him from prison, and then let the word out that he knows where the gold is hidden. Knowing that Bristol is probably watching their every move, Clenteen hopes Alvin will act as the bait that’ll lure Bristol in. To the dismay of Clenteen and his colleagues, agents Wooly, Blum, Boyle, and Walsh, who are tracking Alvin’s every word and move, Alvin immediately gets into trouble, although he decides to go straight once he learns that while he was in prison, his girlfriend Lisa Hill gave birth to their son. Even so, run-ins with his criminal brother, Stevie Sanders and Stevie’s two partners, Ramundo and Julio, puts Alvin in danger of being locked up again, which threatens to mess up Clenteen’s plan. What will happen when Alvin realizes that he’s being used as bait to nail Bristol?

Bait Play trailer

Bait Photos

Bait Torrents Download

Bait Subtitles Download

Bait Movie Reviews

All attitude and no fun

Alvin Sanders (Jamie Foxx) is a career petty criminal who got caught stealing prawns. U.S. Treasury investigator Edgar Clenteen (David Morse) is working on a case of stolen $42M gold. John Jaster (Robert Pastorelli) double crossed his partner Bristol (Doug Hutchison) and hid the gold. The investigation finds Jaster’s fingerprint and it turns out that he’s in Rikers for DWI. Before he dies, the sick Jaster tells Alvin to tell his wife that “There’s no place like home.” and about the Brooklyn zoo. The technically advanced Bristol is using his skills to follow Clenteen in his investigation. The amoral Clenteen secretly plants a tracker/bug in Alvin’s jaw, and let a rumor out that he knows where the gold is. They allow Alvin to walk and Clenteen hopes to catch Bristol when he comes after Alvin.

Jamie Foxx is trying so hard to be the smart-mouthed fun guy, and the movie is trying to be a high-energy thriller. Neither one reach their goal. It’s just too outlandish. There’s too much ridiculous stuff going on. Director Antoine Fuqua is trying hide a mediocre comedy thriller with a lot of attitude. It just tires out the movie. Of the three lead characters, I like none of them. The constant yapping from Foxx is not fun, and Mike Epps is not a good partner for him. They’re almost the same character. The duo needs a straight guy. And the action is second rate anyways.

It’s good as a overall flick

The plot is fair here and the acting is also fair. But the comedy is good. Jamie Foxx can deliver in any circumstance whether it is a action comedy, football drama, or even a booty call, he call give a good performance. He plays Alvin Sanders (Foxx), a prawn theif who gets some info on a gold robber from a bunk mate in jail. Some time later, the feds want to catch the gold thief (Doug Hutchinson plays this villain better than the villain in The Green Mile) so they plant a transmittor in Sanders hoping to snif out the guy, but then, Sanders turns out to be a lot different then the feds though. Part Enemy of the State because whenever Sanders has the bug on him, you have that thought in the back of your head telling you that no matter what Sanders is in, he is being heard by the feds. But also part comedy because Foxx can bring laughs up just by having a conversation with his criminal brother (Mike Epps). Somewhat ludicrous ending, but it doesn’t matter in a film like this. Overall, B+ (for some flaws).

What on earth?

In the course of a massive robbery, psycho Bristol (Doug Hutchison) murders two prisoners and partner Jaster (Robert Pastorelli) abandons him, only to be caught, having stashed the loot. When Jaster dies in custody, Treasury agent Clenteen (David Morse) presses his cellmate Alvin (Jamie Foxx) into being unwitting bait to snare Bristol.

This is a perfectly serviceable plot. So is the wrinkle about Alvin discovering he has become a father while he was in prison, and resolving to get a job and become responsible. The balance between gritty action and humour is a little uneasy and makes the film feel as if it doesn’t really know what it wants to be.

But the big fault lies with two of the characters. Most are absolutely fine, but David Morse’s Lenteen has no humanity and is unlikeable, and Foxx’s Alvin is so irritating that you want to smack his head together. Yes, I know.