Always Outnumbered (1998) (TV)

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers (WGA):

Walter Mosley (book)
Walter Mosley (teleplay)

Release Date:

21 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In every man's soul hides a hero.

Plot:

An ex-con moves to L.A. to find work and creates a disturbance by fighting for a position. More importantly...

Plot Keywords:

Cancer | Gang | Waitress | Father Figure | African American

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Laurence Fishburne	...	Socrates Fortlow
Daniel Williams	...	Darryl
Bill Cobbs	...	Right Burke
Natalie Cole	...	Iula Brown
Laurie Metcalf	...	Halley Grimes
Alan Wilder	...	Anton Crier
Cicely Tyson	...	Luvia
Bridgid Coulter	...	Corina M'Shalla
Bill Nunn	...	Howard M'Shalla
Isaiah Washington	...	Wilfred
Bill Duke	...	Blackbird Wills
Kevin Carroll	...	Pegus
Jamaal Carter	...	Phillip
John Toles-Bey	...	Stoney Wiley
Brooke Marie Bridges	...	Winnie M'Shalla
John Gavigan	...	Mr. Keene
Perry Moore	...	Kiko
Sammi Rotibi	...	Marlow Bitta
Art Evans	...	Markham Peale
Danny Goldring	...	Parker
Dan Martin	...	Weems
Paula Jai Parker	...	Melodie
Vonte Sweet	...	Shep Fegel
Kelvin Garvanne	...	Lover
Crystal LaPrie	...	Lover
Mykel Taylor	...	Felix Waldron Wallace
Mary-Michelle Trinity	...	Mrs. Wallace
Erika LaVonn	...	Charla
John Wesley	...	Store Manager
John Cothran Jr.	...	Man In Community Center
Sonya Haynes	...	Defoe
Greg Bird	...	Domino Player #1
Norm D. Wilson	...	Domino Player #2
Regan Forman	...	Telephonist
Zaid Farid	...	Bus Driver
Darren O'Bannon	...	Leroy Wade
Maurice Blake	...	Posse Member
Lawrence Hales	...	Posse Member
David Gramling	...	Posse Member
Jason Young	...	Posse Member
Dirk Vahle	...	Helicopter Pilot
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mary Ann Schmidt	...	Grocery Store Clerk (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Apted

Writing credits (WGA)
Walter Mosley		(book "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned")
Walter Mosley		(teleplay)

Produced by
Jeffrey Downer	....	co-producer
Laurence Fishburne	....	executive producer
Jonathon Ker	....	producer
Jeanney Kim	....	associate producer
Anne-Marie Mackay	....	producer
Helen McCusker	....	associate producer
Walter Mosley	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Michael Franti

Cinematography by
John Bailey

Film Editing by
Rick Shaine

Casting by
John Brace
Linda Lowy

Production Design by
Keith Brian Burns

Makeup Department
K-Bobby	....	hair stylist
Klexius Kolby	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Judith Blume	....	post-production supervisor
Skot Bright	....	executive in charge of production
Jane Nerlinger Evans	....	executive in charge of production
Jack L. Murray	....	production supervisor

Art Department
Ashley Burnham	....	assistant art director
Tomas Sallvin	....	general foreman
Chris Ubick	....	property master
Mike Wells	....	construction coordinator
Tim Y. Wetzel	....	property assistant

Sound Department
Tom Fox	....	utility sound
Robert Janiger	....	sound
Gary Krause	....	sound effects editor
Eric A. Norris	....	sound effects editor
Adam Sawelson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Richard Taylor	....	supervising sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Greene	....	still photographer
R. Michael Stringer	....	grip
Richard Turner	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Lucyna Wojciechowski	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Joshua Winget	....	music editor

Transportation Department
John Armstrong	....	transportation captain
Jim Chesney	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Susan J. Bonno-Buckner	....	assistant accountant
Benita Brazier	....	script supervisor
Sam M. Cobb	....	production medic
Kathy Edwards	....	production accountant
Robert Foulkes	....	location scout
Alan Grabelsky	....	vice president production
Kevin Halloran	....	location manager
Michael Kehoe	....	craft service
Brian McMillan	....	head animal trainer
Dalia Nissim	....	assistant accountant
Katreniah L. Washington	....	executive assistant to vice president of production (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Palomar Pictures

Distributors

• Capelight Pictures (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• mediacs AG (2002) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Ultimate Effects

Other Companies

• Axium Payroll Services  payroll services
• Cinelease  electrical and grip equipment
• E=mc²  video graphics
• Helinet  helicopter provided by
• Homer Kirsch & Mitchell  legal counsel
• J.L. Fisher  dollies
• The Chauffeur Connection  limousine service

Also Known As:

Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned (USA) (DVD title)
Socrates (USA) (working title)
Socrates Fortlow (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, and some sexuality and violence.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Taiwan:R-12 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

The cap that Socrates wears throughout the movie reads "90291", the zip code corresponding to the Los Angeles suburb of Venice (roughly 15 miles west of where this movie takes place). The M'Shalla family moves to Venice at the end of the movie after Howard gets a job offer there.

Soundtrack:

Joy To The World

A superior film with a meaningful message

This can be a tough video to find, but when I finally did it turned out to be well worth the effort. This is a great film, it rates right up with "Citizen X" as one of the best made for HBO movies. Laurence Fishburne is terrific as Socrates Fortlow, an ex-con living in inner L.A. and attempting to carve a new life for himself while just barely getting by. Fishburne gives the character real grit, anger, and pride, but most of all he shows us a man who is committed to living life honorably after making some very serious mistakes. You can feel the frustration of a man who is trying to live right in a world that is seldom fair, but he won't give in to the temptation to make an easy buck or to compromise his principles. The film is presented as a series of intertwining stories about the people in Fortlow's life, and the other actors in the film are superb - there is never a moment that doesn't feel real. The stories all have meaning - love, prejudice, empathy, sorrow, friendship, honor and death. It's not often that a film says this much without seeming to, and it's not often you see a film this moving. If your video store doesn't have it, be like Socrates and just keep coming back and protesting loudly until they do.