Cradle 2 the Grave

As DMX has stated before, he's "not a nice person," he's also "not a good actor," but Cradle 2 the Grave, directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Exit Wounds), is an entertaining action movie despite X's failed attempts to "give it to us." Cradle 2 the Grave's premise is that of a jewel thief with a heart of gold (DMX) getting caught up in a former Taiwanese secret agent's attempt to sell highly condensed plutonium. In the process he hooks up with another Taiwanese secret agent (Jet Li) and attempts to stop the sale. The DVD comes with a DMX music video and some interesting special features that take you behind the scenes and allows you to see how an action movie is shot. There is a mini-documentary that showcases the director's technique of filming scenes from multiple angles and it's fascinating to see a scene take shape slowly. It's in this mini-documentary that the most interesting part of the DVD is located — a feature that allows you to watch a scene (the one where Jet Li finally defeats the villain) from three different angles. This little feature lets you witness the marvel that is Jet Li in his full glory. Other mini-documentaries include a look at a camera device created specifically for the movie and one on the scene where Jet Li fights some Ultimate Fighting Championship competitors. The latter has some funny moments, as producer Joel Silver talks about how the UFC guys couldn't really buy into the idea of "fake" fighting. All the features are interesting, but none would really bear repeat watching, which limits the repeat viewing aspect of the whole experience. Extras: featurettes; trailers; more. (Warner)