No one ever said that crimes are fun and entertainment an this movie shows us just that. It keeps it real. Ice T plays a very very bad man and does in in a manner that is believable. The acting may not be beautiful and emotional but it it real. Real crime with a touch of fictional intertwining of characters who are also as real. It isn't about the acting, it's about the personal stories we can imagine, such as the hardened criminal trying to go straight seeking God and ending up using God as an excuse for his inability to stop killing innocents, it is about the derelict brother who always fails because he is unable to realize his ways are wrong and ends up preying on his good hearted sibling. It's about the pretty girl who is also brave and not easily intimidated. And there is more, the intelligent black kid who wastes his talent using it for the wrong reasons and the white wannabe gangsters who end up getting involved with more than they can handle and pay a high price. All these characters may appear boring to some (see other comment) but they really exist, what the film does is involve them in a tragicomic situation that may not be as fascinating as Pulp Fiction but is by far more real, if for no other reason than the actors not being Hollywood Stars.