This isn't a great movie but it's good, fun, mindless entertainment.

I'm a huge fan of "Gridlock'd" and went into this film expecting a clever take on the action genre from Vondie Curtis Hall. What I got was an action-packed movie that borrowed from many films before it; its saving grace is its urban twist, the tongue in cheek humor (Kimora Lee's cameo is priceless) and its stars, Tyrese Gibson, Meagan Good and Larenz Tate. If you're fans of either actor, you'll allow yourself to believe the unbelievable moments--and there are many of them.

The action is non-stop, the hip hop soundtrack delivers in all the right places and you could plant a pretty garden in the plot holes but you'll certainly get your money's worth with the gunfights, beautiful people and adrenaline racing chase scenes--and in the end, isn't that what action films are all about?

OK, my Mrs wanted to watch it for a few days but I thought it was going to be the usual muscle bound stuff which is synonymous with a Tyrese title. But was I wrong. The film captures you from the off with good sounds and fast moving filming. The story is predictable but enjoyable and left me with a nice taste in my mouth. Unfortunately it has taken Tyrese almost 20 years from his coke advert to finally make a film in which we see a little talent. In closing I was very happy because with a film like this you can only score on action but they were some strong roles (not award winning but there hasn't been much of that lately anyhow).

WAIST DEEP follows a tried and true formula: Ex-con's son is kidnapped by his ex-partner in crime, a ransom is demanded, the ex-con works diligently to put together the ransom while doing his best to undermine his old partner, and there's a final showdown between them. The kid is cute, the ex-con is an impressive slab of beef, the former partner is suitably menacing and fugly beyond belief, and of course there's a pretty female to help things along. The formula works most of the time, but the movie is so predictable that in the end I asked myself why I bothered to rent it. There is a heckuva car chase near the end that sort of makes up for a dull middle. The movie, which could have just as easily starred Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson in his prime, clearly was aimed at an urban audience even though it was heavily marketed as a mainstream flick. That's why I rented it. It could have been a lot worse, I suppose.

I took this movie home the other day not really expecting to see much of a movie but I was like what the hell, I'll give it a try and was pleased.

This movie didn't have the most original plot. It was just a father trying to get his kidnapped son back. Tyrese Gibson played the father who would very much rather forget his past and jail time so he set a good example for his kid. I thought Gibson did a very good job as he teamed up with the very attractive actress Meagan Good. Also in the movie was Larenz Tate. Tate did not impress me. It seemed like he just re-enacted his role in Crash.

Your not going to see a masterpiece after watching this film. Your not going to get blown away by the acting even though it was above average. They're some hard-nosed scenes such as when I guy gets his armed chopped off for not paying back the money. But the movie seemed to have heart and I believe it was directed very well. Such scene is when Gibson's character is running than switches to first person as the director, Vondie Curtis-Hall, has the camera shaking constantly to give it a more dramatic feel.

The relationship between Good and Gibson's character grew way to fast but still was par. There are some moments that are far fetched but the movie was still very entertaining and intense and I believe it gets a 7.5 rating (rounded to a 8).

Acting 7, editing 6, directing 8, plot 6.

In South Los Angeles, while bringing his beloved son Junior (H. Hunter Hall) back home from school, the paroled ex-convicted O2 (Tyrese Gibson) promises his son that he would always come back to him and never leave him alone. However, his car is hijacked and Junior is kidnapped. Without any lead, O2 forces the street vendor Coco (Meagan Good) to help him to find where his car might have been sent for disassembling. Meanwhile, O2's addicted brother Lucky (Larenz Tate) discovers that the cruel leader of the Outlaw Syndicate, the drug lord Meat (The Game), is keeping the boy arrested in a room and asking a ransom of US$ 100,000.00 that he believes O2 have from an old heist. O2 and Coco plot a scheme to put the pimp P-Money and Meat against each other and steal their money.

"Waist Deep" is another good movie of gangsters in Los Angeles that never disappoints. The story is full of action and violent with excellent direction of Vondie Curtis-Hall, the cast has great performances and Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good show a wonderful chemistry. It seems that there are viewers in IMDb that do not like this genre, but spend their time watching this type of movie apparently just to write bad reviews. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Ruas Sangrentas – O Acerto Final" ("Bloody Streets – The Final Payback")

There are two basic sub-genres within the "urban" (read black guys) category: 1/ The totally play-to-cliché everyone rocks a glock & has dumb hair & shoots before they talk & hates the cops & keeps it real at all times & is part of a gang selling drugs & 110% gangsta 112% of the time.

2/ A more realistic portrayal, which if the depictions are right is all of the above only slightly less so.

Waist Deep straddles the line of the two and ends up being a bit of both, but as a result not much of anything.

Streets is hot in LA cuz. There are continual street demonstrations demanding that the violence be stopped, (though for some reason this never really comes into the storyline – so why have it?) and the mood is tetchy.

Otis is called away from his job to pick up son Otis Jr who is about 9 years old. On the way home his car is jacked with Otis Jr in it. (Might I add that Otis Sr has the nickname O2, wouldn't it make more sense for his son to have that moniker?) Moving on… O2 realises that the hot (seriously) chick who distracted him and thereby assisted in the jacking was in on the ground floor. He grabs her (never abet a car-jacking and expect to run away in high heels luv) and after the girl Coco realises he really loves his son the two set off top spend the rest of the movie finding him.

Within 12 minutes or so O2 finds out through his sketchy cousin Lucky that a gang called the Outlaws (ooooh scary) lead by crime-boss Big Meat (it pays to advertise I guess?) has O2-2 and wants O2 to pay a ransom to get him back.

To raise the funds O2 and Coco – sounds like a bad Euro DJ team – must wreak a 2 person crime wave all over the city during which Coco gets to wear a cavalcade of fashionable outfits that were fortunately provided in an otherwise pointless scene where they go to an underground fashion dealer and stick 'em up.

I'm not complaining much, Coco is hot.

The film continues the paint by numbers approach, there is a love scene, proof that Big Meat is tough, nasty and ruthless and also that O2 is basically a hard working father pushed into a situation against his will, yet eminently capable in this environment… and Coco is still hot and wears lots of outfits (not sure if I mentioned that before).

The title Waist Deep probably means something, I have no idea what. The film is far less macho and has fewer chest-puffed out scenes than the poster might suggest, it also isn't anywhere near as over the top as I predicted. It's merely another film where a Dad must save his child from the naughty guys while the clock is running… and neither a good nor an especially bad one.

Final Rating – 5 / 10. Referring back to the first statement in this review: there are 2 sub-genres available. Waist Deep chooses neither, which is the main reason that it is quite forgettable and not very entertaining.

OK, so i saw an advanced screening of this movie today and i have to say that it wasn't bad. I really enjoyed Tyrese's performance in the film; you could tell right off the bat that his character really cared for his son and would do anything to get him back. From the very beginning you could tell that this movie would have non-stop action and that started at the very beginning. Nothing about it was boring or drawn out, it got straight to the point.There were some things that i didn't like- like Meagan Good's performance. She played your average chick on the corner working for some guy who kicked her ass every time she didn't pay up; kinda like a pimp thing. Her big dream was to leave the city and to go to Mexico once she saved up some money. At first it seemed as if she was going to just spoil the movie just by shaking her ass the whole time in front of Tyrese just to make some dough, but when she found out what happened to his son they connected on a deeper level. She ended up helping throughout the whole movie with trying to get his son back. At times the movie did seem a little predictable because it was so fast paced, but there were some laughs that the whole audience shared. There is a lot of crime and down right cruel things being done in this movie, but over all the movie wasn't bad. The game's performance in this film was very believable; at times i flinched whenever he came on the screen because i was scared of what he might do.He doesn't have as much screen time as do Tyrese and Meagan good do, but he makes it worth while. To sum this all up, this movie was worth seeing, it was very entertaining, enjoyable, and funny.

An ex-con (Tyrese Gibson) trying to go straight is pulled back into the life after his young son (Henry Hunter Hall) is kidnapped by an urban gang led by a sadistic machete-wielding boss (The Game). Throw in red-hot small-time hustler Meagan Good and borderline alcoholic Larenz Tate (as Gibson's inept cousin) and we have a typical modern-day crime picture that has lots more bullets than brains. Gibson and Good make an alluring couple, but neither have much talent in the end. The Game is down-right creepy and Tate seems like he is just going through the motions after successful roles in "Ray" and "Crash". "Waist Deep" stays at an adequate spot for a good portion of its running time, but then finally sinks with an unwanted and ridiculous final act. Will definitely be mentioned with the lesser productions of the year. 2 stars out of 5.

Waist Deep is another in the never ending black gangster films depicting a group of people the simply don't exist anywhere. O2, the misunderstood ex-con trying to get his life back on track, gets car-jacked while his son is sleeping the back seat of the car. His son winds up in the hands of a gangster that owns the streets, dismembering and killing with impunity. O2 and his posse rob banks and rich people trying to get enough money to buy his son back. Lots of action and blood in a well made film with inadequate dialog. If you like lots of gangster speak and culture, you'll like this film. Otherwise, it's a lot like all the other gangster films out there – pick one.

The only reason I gave this movie a two was because Megan Good look really hot in it. It features some of the worse actors I've ever seen, and the story is one of the most predictable and also just plain stupid. I mean a 6 year old could come up with the script for Waist Deep, and the child actor in it is The worst I've ever seen. After the first 30 minutes you can predict everything that is going to happen very easily, I would have rather watched an episode of Pokemon, for at least I would have came away feeling smarter than I did after this movie. If your really bored and have nothing to do, don't go see this movie, for your boredom is better than the irritation that his movie will bring you. Avoid this at all costs.

I am not a big movie person so it is hard for me to appreciate a movie without a plot. This movie was very well written and the acting was good. I enjoyed the movie and would recommend seeing this movie to anyone. Good job! Although this movie is listed rated R, I would allow my younger son (twelve) to view this movie. It is very real life and it only allowed enough violence to give you a true picture of how things really happen to some people in life. I didn't realize Meagan Good was such a good actress. I learned a greater respect for her talent during this movie. The Game also played his part well. There are several singers & Rappers making it today in the theater. I would like to say that they are doing a wonderful job. Kudos!

This would have been a great B Western film. Having an R rating, I expected lots of sex and nudity, but there wasn't ANY. And the one love scene was refreshingly tasteful and brief. Gibson has a great future as a leading man. Gives real performances in unreal situations, but his big film hasn't been made yet, but it will be. The girl could have been played by any foxy black chick. Meagan Good added nothing to the film. The Game also could have been played by any black actor who can scowl. Like a rap CD album cover. It's gotten really old, that mean scowl. Like he's just eaten a stink bug. Larenz Tate? Also a part that any black actor could have played. Gibson and the boy who played his son were the only actors who rose above and grabbed your eye. And the only real funny moment in the film comes from the only white guy in the film. Whoa! Destined for the under $5 DVD rack at a used DVD store near you.

Saw this last night at the L.A. Film festival. Only went because it was FREE, but was pleasantly surprised at the pacing. There were implausible moments and a cheesy drawn out cell phone conversation..in the middle of a police chase, with a hackneyed "Shawshank Redemption"/ "Thelma & Louise" ending, but Tyrese Gibson and Megan Goode draw you in and make you want to see where this thing goes. They look great and had chemistry.

(Megan, it's time for you to do more films like "Brick". I think you have the range to break out in some different roles outside off 'hood flicks)

Kimora Lee Simmons is hilarious in her cameo. She may need to do a movie herself! Just check out the way she curls her lip when she gets an unwanted man in her house. I will have to add her performance to my collection of "Great Actor Scenes that stand out by themselves"

There are clichés galore, and one scene I found insulting to elderly black women. (Megan's character calls a grandmotherly-looking black woman the "B-word". It was funny in an earlier scene where Megan Goode's character is called one off screen for holding up traffic, but it doesn't work when used on an old woman in a bank. Kasi, you shoulda told Vondie to drop that line!)

Lastly, I always laugh when I see so-called "gangsters" making money hand over foot with their hustling,but they never move to nicer areas? You have thousands of dollars stashed in safety deposit boxes and $250,000 worth of jewelry, and you still live in a jacked up house in the worst parts of L.A.? Dumb.

Hunter Hall who plays the kidnapped son is a cute little boy, but his acting was stilted and unnatural in several scenes to the point of being distracting. But he sure does look like his momma! (Kasi, you need to be in more movies! We miss you!)

This movie is strictly popcorn fun. As Mr. Vondi Curtis Hall stated before showing his film last night, "This is a movie, not necessarily a film" in the artsy-fartsy sense. Most critics have been complaining that it's hodge-podge of various genres, but it works for what it tries to do: tell the journey of a single-parent father trying to save his son at all costs. How often do you get to see that? **(And the brother survives? Shee-itt!)

Lessons learned from this flick? You can shoot and kill a handful of bad people, rob empty houses in the Hollywood Hills because a half naked girl can fool police, and you can drive to Mexico and live happily ever after in a Malibu-styled beach house without a passport, just a bag full of money. Let me get my glock!

Waist deep is a variation on a theme. The main character is out of jail and going straight however after his car is carjacked with his son in the back seat he is forced off the straight and narrow. I liked the way he came to the aid of a girl being beaten up and that initially he tried to raise the money to get back his son by robbing the bad guys even though he had to rob bank in order to get to the robbers safety deposit boxes. Well eventually he has the robbers and the police after him and he's faced with a 'Thelma and Louise' standoff. The girl who he saved and eventually hooked up with gets away with his son and you think it ends there. If you see the film you will guess how it ends as I did but I liked it just the same. So what is Waist Deep? It's a familiar story with violence and bad language but I liked it.

Man this movie was so stupid and predictable it was hilarious!! At the end when Tyrese came out of the clouds man I died laughing! If you want to watch something stupid over a couple of drinks or whatever this is it!! Also is Meagan Good a porn star? She sure acted like it!! OK what gangster do you know who is out here cutting off arms? Was Larenz Tate Trying to relive his Menace to Society days or what? It was just horrible... So many slow motion gun shoot outs? Please!! I knew what was going to happen the whole movie. Guy meets hood girl, he hits it then they live happily ever after?? I think Master P's movies deserve an Oscar compared to this!!! Poor Meagan good, from Eve's Bayou she could not find a more mature classy role for herself?

If you're looking for a film that doesn't require an overly large amount of thought, great action, and goes by fast, then 'Waist Deep' is the film for you. It is a not the typical type of film I enjoy (I like films that are psychologically powerful and wildly unpredictable such as 'Saw', 'Se7en', 'Memento', or 'Fight Club'), but I watched it twice and thought 'Waist Deep' is definitely among the more underrated films to be released recently. Another problem this film had is the fact that it came out in 2006, which thus far has been a year of extraordinary action and adventure films (see 'Pirates 2', 'Mi:III', 'Superman Returns, 'Running Scared', '16 Blocks', and 'Inside Man'). It is easy to see how 'Waist Deep' can be forgotten amongst these blockbusters. Despite this, the film is a great thrill ride that never slows down even though you'll find the film predictable.

The plot is straightforward enough, following a man nicknamed O2 (Tyrese Gibson; 'Four Brothers'), a man who is trying to settle down after being recently released from prison. He is alone in life besides having his son, Junior, who means the world to him. After his cousin Lucky (Larenz Tate; 'Crash') neglects to pick Junior up from school, O2 leaves his new security guard job early to pick him up. After we see the bond that this father and his son have, O2 is carjacked by gangsters...with his son still in the car, thus setting O2 up for the ride of his life. With the reluctant help of a young woman named Coco (Meagan Good; 'Brick'), O2 vows to take his son back from the vicious gangsters, who are led by the ruthless crime lord Meat (Jayceon 'The Game' Taylor; 'The Documentary' and 'The Doctor's Advocate' rap artist).

First off, what stands out is the action. Very original scenes in the film that I really enjoyed. They are intense and smart creations from Vondie Curtis Hall, who did a nice job directing this film. You really can't say enough about Tyrese Gibson, who nails the part of O2 very well. I really couldn't imagine anyone else in the role but Gibson. His biggest strength is his ability to convey emotion without speaking. Normally it is an insult to tell an actor that their best scenes were when he wasn't talking, but Gibson's nonverbal acting is simply stellar. You can relate to O2 very easily and feel his pain. He puts so much into O2, and it is easy to see in every scene, especially when he is with his son (the young actor who plays his son has the biggest eyes in the world, and he is so lovable as well). Meagan Good surprised me with her ability in 'Brick', and I was looking forward to seeing her again...sadly, she's not as good as she was in that film. She is a great young actress, but she doesn't get the job done here. Coco as a character is not very likable, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that she is supposed to be likable. She has her moments, especially at the end of the film, but overall, it's just a mediocre at best performance. One intriguing part about this film is to watch one of the better rappers of today, Jayceon 'The Game' Taylor, venture into film for the first time. I must say, Taylor picked a good role to start with. While Meat does not appear that often, you'll remember every second of him because Taylor is great as the villain of the film. Like Gibson, Taylor is great at conveying emotion to the audience without speaking. When you see him, you will know he means business. I really enjoyed watching The Game in this film, and I hope he does another role like this. Larenz Tate is the final main character of the film, but if you want to see what his character is like, just watch 'Crash', because it's basically the same performance. Good, but I liked it the first time I saw it.

Vondie Curtis Hall, the director, seemed to put a lot of emotion into this film, but forgot to keep at least SOME mystery in the film. Where the story gets annoyingly predictable, Hall throws in a great action sequence to deter you from that unfortunate fact. Despite the fact that this film is rated R, it is a very light R, due only to intense action and occasionally use of the 'f' and 'n' words. I say it's okay for ages 13 and up, maybe 12. Tyrese Gibson stands out in a film that is constantly degraded for being predictable. But guess what? This isn't 'The Usual Suspects'. This isn't 'The Prestige'. This isn't 'Se7en'. It's 'Waist Deep', a great action thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the 90 minutes that it runs. Take it for what it is, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

7/10 --spy

I have to admit I am more than biased. I thought I had seen this movie before, but turns out I hadn't. Which surprises me considering that Meagan Good is in it. And if you hadn't guessed why or what my summary line meant, I reckon now you do.

Of course that is also where my bias lies. I am quite smitten by her and even if the movie was bad, I might not have rated it below a 5. Just because of her! I reckon some may feel the same with Tyrese starring in this, so I guess the pairing is fitting to a degree (and the subsequent love story that develops). It is quite over the top and there is slang that you'll either accept for what it is (hood talk) or you feel it might be a bit forced.

Overall a decent thriller, that is predictable and flawed, but nice to watch. Even with that ending ... I guess I liked it, but come on ... well anyway, Meagan Good is in it!

I had the opportunity to read the script before it was in production. I thought the story was good and anticipated the movie. I was sat through 20 minutes of the movie and walked out. I was getting sick from the camera movement. there seemed to be not one steady shot, the camera was ALL over the place. I don't know if the director wanted a chaotic feel to the movie or what. It looked like the camera operator was either on crack, drunk or scared to be in the section of town he was in, or maybe he had turrets. The photography was to tight Extreme close ups for almost every line of dialog made me want to move further back in the theater; to bad I was in the very back. It was so close at times I could see straight into the pores on the actors faces. the editing looked as if it was done by a 1st quarter film student, learning how to use final cut. when 02's son was kidnapped and the car was speeding away, the jump cuts to show the car moving further was completely overdone and looked amateur. I don't know what they were trying to do but they failed, unless they were trying to make a joke, if so they still didn't succeed. the wholes, grammar and spelling mistakes in the script should of been a warning as to the movie. but oh well.

Bear in mind that this movie was made in 2006. I was born and raised in Los Angeles County and this movies totally captured the essence of the underground L.A. lifestyle back in 2006. I recognized so many people I knew back then, in these characters. To answer the person who asked, why you would have to buy gas to use the restroom. Because you do in L.A. Gas Station restrooms in Los Angeles are for paying customers only, so this was true and factual. This movie is gritty, very realistic, and far better than any of the fake Fast & Furious franchise. If you are looking for a depiction of the Urban Hustler and Gangster lifestyle of L.A. back in the mid 2000s, then this is a good choice.

Waist Deep appears to be the typical urban type crime drama in which has seen a rise through before in films. With a predictable type story, although we watch and enjoy the film for the ride and it's characters. This film is as expected as it delivers solid action, decent acting and a story which makes it feel personal and easy to root for.

Tyrese Gibson is very solid here and carries the film for what it's worth. Certainly not the best of these type of films but having no expectations it gets the job done, and is better than its critics rating displays.

I usually really enjoy a good action flick, which this is. However, it has been cast and directed so stereotypically that I can't enjoy the movie because of it. Not all Africian-American's live the life portrayed or dress in a muscle beach t-shirt. This movie degrades Africian-Americans, but looking at the bi-polar voting results, it appears that there are too many who deem anything black a "10". I think the producers could have delivered a pretty good flick if they hadn't tried to pander to the "blacker is better" faction. There might be some talent lurking here, but as long as the portrayal is "Shaft", we'll never know. Too bad. Bottom line is that this should be a rental--at best.