Cradle to the Grave

MPAA Rating:

for violence, language and some sexual content.

Moral Rating:

_____

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Moviemaking Quality:

Primary Audience:

Adult

Genre:

Action Adventure

Length:

1 hr. 40 min.

DMX in Cradle to the Grave, courtesy Warner Brothers

Starring: DMX, Jet Li, Mark Dacascos, Anthony Anderson, Tom Arnold | Directed by: Andrzej Bartkowiak | Produced by: Joel Silver | Written by: Reggie Rock Bythewood, Joseph O'Brien, Channing Gibson, John O'Brien | Distributor: Warner Brothers

Year of Release—2003

Negative—Well, all I have to say is that the movie was just plain predictable and slow. I mean, Jet Li’s free fall didn’t make any sense since it would have made more sense if he had used the stairs. DMX’s so called prayer had no meaning. I am a Jet Li fan but at least I know Jackie Chan’s movies aren’t going to have several “F” words in them. I felt this was Jet Li’s worst movie ever. Oh, and one more warning: Parents don’t take any kids under 15 to see this movie. There is plenty of cursing and there is an unnecessary strip scene in the movie.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive / 2]
—Nita, age 18

Movie Critics

…all style and no substance… immediately entertaining but ultimately disappointing. There’s even a vain attempt at relevance by making superthief DMX a religious man whose love for his daughter borders on the divine. Sorry, but praying to angels to keep one’s daughter safe while engaging in criminal activity that puts her in harm’s way seems… hypocritical…
—Michael Elliot, Movie Parables

…Any self-respecting person will avoid this film at all costs!…
—Shaun Daugherty, Preview Family Movie and TV Review

…Cradle 2 the Grave delivers lots of slickly choreographed machismo backed by a thumping soundtrack. It also unloads buckets of obscenity, shovelfuls of gore and an awful instance of sexualized violence. Of course, savvy filmgoers realize that a movie in which a gangsta rapper and a martial arts expert receive top billing won’t be heavy on dialogue and plot. There’s no doubt that the presence of the ultra-popular, foul-mouthed DMX helped propel this film to the top of the Box Office opening weekend. Some parents might not be familiar with the career of Earl Simmons, aka Dark Man X, but their teens certainly are. DMX boasted on his last album, The Great Depression: “How many million did my last [record] sell? [Expletive], I’m goin’ for 10. It’s never gonna stop.” Now his self-proclaimed domination is spreading to celluloid. Make sure your family members aren’t citizens of his expanding entertainment kingdom.
—Loren Eaton, Focus on the Family