Snipes (film)

Snipes is a 2001 American drama film directed by Rich Murray and featuring Nelly and Dean Winters. It is Murray's feature directorial debut.

Plot
Snipes starts off with a young man named Erik (Sam Jones Jr) looking up to this rapper named Prolifik (Nelly). The young man works for the Hype Studio as the person who puts up flyers of the upcoming rappers, Prolifik.

He frequently speaks with Cheryl (Zoe Saldana) who also works at Hype Studio. Bobby Starr (Dean Winters) owns this studio and also works for a dangerous criminal named Johnnie Marandin who already despises him for sleepy with his daughter when he was only suppose to show her the ropes of the business. There is a problem with PROLIFIK though. He has already spent his advance money and Bobby is waiting for the second album but for some reason PROLIFIK can’t produce it.

Erik and his friend Malik want to get into the rap game, Malik raps. Erik steals the studio key from Cheryl’s desk and he and Malik sneak into the studio to record one night. While there, they witness a murder and escape. The next day it seems as though the double murder didn’t happen. Erik starts to question it, even telling Cheryl about it. Meanwhile Malik is visited at his home by Bobby Starr and two other gangsters. Bobby reveals that important tapes were stolen from the studio that night and he assumes Malik and Erik stole them. When Malik is about to deny being at the studio, Erik calls leaving a voicemail heard by them all, revealing that him and Malik were at the studio. Using this as a distraction, Malik is able to escape outside being closely chased by Bobby and the gangsters. As he makes his get away he is struck by a car and dies on the scene. Erik comes to the scene a short time later and breaks down over Malik's death

Erik and Cheryl have decided to flee and hold up at a motel. Soon enough, Bobby finds Erik and has his henchman kidnap him and bring him to Hype Studio. He continuously beats Erik, even slicing his nose, asking about the tapes. When Erik is threatened with death if he doesn't reveal who has the muaic tapes, he gives Bobby the name "Nino Brown" (Malik's stage name). Bobby and his crew leaves Erik for a short time to determine if this is true. Erik uses this time to escape with a tape of Prolifik's "death". Back on the street, Erik tries to get to a pay phone, where he encounters Bugsy and Trix, two people Erik previously spoken to whose own posters were taken down by him to promote Prolifik, and eventually collapses from blood loss.

Erik wakes up at Bugsy's clubhouse, and has his nose sewed up by Trix. After Erik and Bugsy watch Prolifik's "death" tape, Erik decides to investigate Prolifik's death and his missing music.

After meeting up with Cheryl, she reveals to Erik that the whole thing was a scheme. PROLIFIK isn’t the real PROLIFIK. The real PROLIFIK was named Jamal. PROLIFIK that became the rapper (Nelly) real name is Clarence. Clarence had his cousin Jamal with him one night during a drive by and Jamal got killed. The day before that Cheryl had brought a tape to Bobby and Bobby wanted to sign PROLIFIK (Jamal). Since Clarence knew every word to every song and the mannerisms and Bobby had never seen him, Clarence decided to portray the role of PROLIFIK which was the reason he couldn’t produce a second album.

Bobby is approached by Johnnie and his henchmen. Johnnie tells Bobby he has let him down especially for his relations with his daughter. Bobby is trying to persuade Johnnie that he will get the second album out bringing in more money, Johnnie doesn’t want to hear it. Johnnie tells Bobby they are going to go “for a ride” presumably to kill Bobby.

Clarence came up with a scheme. He decided to get his friends to “kidnap him” and ask Bobby for a million dollars and they will give him the tape. The tape is revealed to be an unreleased second album that the real Prolifk made. The plan goes awry once Cheryl and Erik get involved. While Erik is away, PROLIFIK kidnaps Cheryl and brings her to a basement where he beats and eventually shoots her, Erik arrives and is able to talk to Cheryl before she unfortunately dies. Prolifk who is hurt but still alive pulls a gun on Erik, Erik reveals his own gun shooting PROLIFIK to death.

Erik goes on to live his life after all the tragic events that went down.

Cast

 * Sam Jones III as Erik aka Snipes
 * Zoe Saldana as Cheryl
 * Nelly as Prolifik/Clarence
 * Dean Winters as Bobby Starr
 * Rashaan Nall as Floyd
 * Schoolly D as Tony
 * Joel Garland as Ceaser
 * Mpho Koaho as Malik
 * Victor Togunde as Midas
 * Carlo Alban as Bugsy
 * Rich Heidelberg as Donnie
 * Frank Vincent as Johnnie Marandino
 * Charli Baltimore as Trix
 * Johnnie Hobbs Jr. as Mr. Triggs

Reception
The film has a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun awarded the film one and a half stars.