Tagline: No king rules forever.
Never Die Alone is a film noir centering around a hard-boiled, stylish kingpin drug dealer, called King David, who returns to his hometown seeking redemption–but ends up only finding violent death. King David’s final moments are spent with Paul, an aspiring journalist who knew him for just a few minutes; yet King David would forever more have an impact on Paul’s life.
Half preacher, half Satan, and all street smarts, King David had recorded the story of his exploits on audiotape, leaving behind an often-poetic sermon on villainy and its consequences. The tapes reveal that the cycle of violence and retribution, which his actions have spawned, has come back to him, full circle, as he suspected they might all along.
Based on legendary street novelist Donald Goines’ book of the same name, Never Die Alone is a richly literate film noir about King David (DMX), a hard-boiled, stylish criminal who returns to his hometown seeking redemption and finding only violent death. But he did not die alone…
King David’s final moments are spent with Paul (David Arquette), an aspiring journalist who knows him for just a few minutes but is changed forever by their meeting.
King David – half preacher, half Satan, and all street smarts – gives to Paul an audiotape featuring the story of his recent exploits, leaving behind a riveting, poetic sermon on villainy and its consequences.
The tapes reveal that the cycle of violence and retribution King David’s actions spawned have come back on him full circle, as he suspected they might all along…
The acclaimed novel Never Die Alone was penned in 1974 by the late African American cult writer Donald Goines shortly before his death, and was adapted for the screen by James Gibson. One of the most widely acclaimed black authors of his generation, Goines wrote his first two books while incarcerated, and followed those with an astonishing 16 novels written from the time he was released from prison in 1970 until he was shot to death in 1974.
Goines sold more than 5 million books in his brief career and has, in the past decade, been re-discovered by legions of hip-hop fans. He has been called the greatest black American urban novelist since Chester Himes and the French magazine L’Express called him “a flashing talent straight from the street of the lost.”
Never Die Alone is a 2004 crime thriller film directed by Ernest R. Dickerson. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, written by Donald Goines. The film was a box office bomb upon release earning only $3.0 million at 1,160 theaters. It later went on to gross just $5.6 million by the end of its run.
Never Die Alone (2004)
Directed by: Ernest Dickerson
Starring: DMX, David Arquette, Michael Ealy, Reagan Preston-Gomez, Jennifer Sky, Paige Hurd, Rhoda Jordan, Keesha Sharp, Antwon Tanner, Xavier Simmons
Screenplay by: James Gibson
Production Design by: Christiaan Wagener
Cinematography by: Matthew Libatique
Film Editing by: Stephen Lovejoy
Costume Design by: Marie France
Set Decoration by: Hernan Camacho
Music by: George Duke
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, drug use, sexuality and language.
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: March 26, 2004
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