Do not miss "Life" if you have not watched it yet

What do you get when you put Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy in one movie? Everything in double, the charisma, the entertainment and of course the laughs. The 1999 movie Life directed by Ted Demme does that and it surely doesn’t disappoint. The movie touches on themes such as racism, friendship, betrayal, false imprisonment, social classes, and sexual discrimination among others. The manner in which these matters are addressed is different from most movies as you will be laughing instead of feeling sad throughout the movie. Granted there are a few scenes that will make your eyes watery but mostly you will be in stiches.

The movie is a flashback to 1932 and is told by an aged prisoner called Willie (Obba Babatunde) about his two former inmate friends Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy) and Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence) who are supposedly dead in the current day. The two were two black men worlds part living in New York. Ray is a petty thief while Claude is a just accepted bank teller at the First Federal of Manhattan. They first meet at a club where Ray identifies Claude as his possible victim. They both are in trouble with the owner of the club Spanky (Rick James) as they both owe him money. Ray being the hustler arranges for them to get into bringing the club illegal alcohol to pay their debt to him.

They head south to get the alcohol but luck isn’t on their side for as the return a man is murdered by the town’s sheriff, Warren (Ned Vaughn). The dead man is thrown to Claude and two witnesses pass by and upon realizing that the man is dead drug the two of them to jail at gun point. They are convicted and sentenced for life.

They are sent to the infamous prison to perform hard labor. They spend the next 65 years trying to escape prison, making friends and learning a lot about each other. Claude who came in as a selfish man tries to get himself out by instructing his wife to tell his lawyer to file an appeal. He gets a major blow when his wife leaves him for his lawyer. He learns his lesson and sticks with Ray who seems to never run out of ideas.

12 years on they are still in prison plotting. When one of their plans fails they get into a fight and don’t speak for 28 years. When they were 65 they were transferred to work at a mansion there they meet the man who framed them for murder and while Ray confronts him he tries to kill them but their boss kills him stating that he believes that he framed them.

In the present, 1997 the now 90 year olds are still in prison. Claude is still hopeful and has a plan but Ray seems to have accepted his fate. There is fire that night and everyone but Ray and Claude make it out alive. It is latter revealed that Claude’s final plan actually worked and the bodies that were buried were not actually theirs and it was all part of a plan.

Just like any classic story it gives us a happy ending with the two of them out of prison living happily together in New York. This movie is surely a must watch for anyone who hasn’t watched yet.