Dangerous Ground

Dangerous Ground
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Darrell Roodt
Produced by	Gillian Gorfil Darrell Roodt
Written by	Greg Latter Darrell Roodt
Starring	Ice Cube Elizabeth Hurley
Music by	Stanley Clarke
Cinematography	Paul Gilpin
Editing by	David Heitner
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	February 12, 1997
Running time	95 min.
Language	English
Budget	$28,000,000
Box office	US $5,406,742

Dangerous Ground is a 1997 thriller starring Ice Cube and Elizabeth Hurley. It was directed by Darrell Roodt and written by Greg Latter and Darrell Roodt.

Plot

In 1984 a fourteen year old Vusi Maslazi is leading a riot about apartheid in Johannesburg, South Africa until he is kidnapped by the police and forced at gunpoint to leave the country and ends up in San Francisco, California. Thirteen years later in 1997 Vusi (Ice Cube) returns to South Africa to his tribal village on news of his fathers death. He is told that he must sacrifice a cow but refuses and leaves it to his younger brother Earnest, a former soldier. He informs Vusi that his other younger brother Stephen has gone missing in Johannesburg and that Vusi must find him. Before Vusi leaves he is given a tribal spear that was his fathers by a tribal elder. Later that day Vusi arrives in Johannesburg and looks for Stephen at his apartment and finds out that he is not there. Stephan's girlfriend Karin (Elizabeth Hurley), lives next door and Vusi asks her to call him if she hears from Steven. The next day Vusi goes briefly into the slums only to be robbed at gunpoint and have his BMW and his jacket stolen and his father's tribal spear broken in half. That night Karin calls Vusi and tells him that she heard people vandalizing Stephan's apartment last night. Later that night at Stephan's apartment Karin sneaks in through the back window and is attacked by someone who appears to be a gangster. Vusi intervenes and saves Karin while the gangster runs away. Karin tells Vusi that that was one of the drug lord Muki's gangsters and tells him that Stephen is a cocaine dealer for Muki (Ving Rhames). Later the two go to different clubs in Johannesburg in an attempt to find Stephen. They go to a black Hip-Hop club and then to a white Punk Rock club where the two are spotted by a group of whites who attack Vusi for yelling a Karin because she is addicted to cocaine. They threaten Vusi with a Glock 18 pistol but Vusi manages to get the upper hand and beat them. Back at Karin's apartment she asks Vusi to get some Cocaine from a white dealer at his hotel. He agrees and goes to the go hotel and is told to wait while the dealer gets the drugs. While Vusi is waiting Stephen arrives and runs away at the sight of Vusi. After unsuccessfully trying to catch him he returns to the dealers hotel room but is threatened by him with a knife for leaving his room. Vusi then points his Glock 18 at the dealer and the dealer reveals that he works for Muki and then gives Vusi the Cocaine. Vusi returns to Karin's apartment and tells Karin the story. Karin tells Vusi that they are in danger and the two go back to Vusi's hotel. The next day at the Hotel parking garage Vusi and Karin say goodbye as Vusi plans to return to San Francisco and he gives Karin the Glock 18 and tells her to be careful. After Vusi begins driving out of the parking garage he is ambushed and kidnapped by some of Muki's gangsters and put into a trunk at gunpoint. He arrives at a soccer stadium where Muki tells Vusi that Stephen owes him 45,000 South African Rand and if Vusi doesn't pay him within two days he will kill Stephen. He goes back to Karin's apartment that day and she says that Stephen called her and he is at the resort Sun City, North West. The two go there and look for Stephen. Vusi goes and looks around the casino but Karin sneaks away and gambles. Stephen runs into Karin and invites her back to his hotel room. The two then get high and fall asleep. Vusi finds them over an hour later and tells Stephen the situation. The next day the three go back to Johannesburg and Vusi gets the money from an ATM then drives to the hotel that Muki is staying at. At Muki's hotel the three are taken to a room where Muki and a corrupt police officer are watching soccer. Vusi gives Muki the money and Muki explains how some people think he is weak since Stephen took so much Cocaine without paying for it. Muki then kills Stephen and Vusi and Karin are kicked out with Stephan's body with them. Vusi and Karin then go to Vusi's tribal village with Stephan's body. As Vusi goes to talk with his brother Earnest, Karin waits in the car and a tribe elder asks her for the spear which he repairs and gives back to her. As Karin waits, Vusi and Earnest talk while looking at Stephan's body and walk around planning a revenge hit. After Stephan's burial Vusi must kill a goat and this time accepts. Later that night Vusi, Karin and Earnest travel into the jungle to Earnest's weapon stash. They equip themselves with AK-47s and a bomb. The three go back to Johannesburg and go to the same white drug dealer's hotel from before. They threaten to kill him if he doesn't deliver the bomb to Muki in the form of a present. He agrees after some mild torture and they got to Muki's hotel. He and Vusi and Earnest go up to his hotel room while Karin stays behind to keep guard. The drug dealer walks out of the elevator and talks to Muki's gangsters while Vusi and Earnest hide behind the elevator's walls. The bomb explodes killing the drug dealer and two of Muki's gangsters and Vusi and Earnest run out of the elevator and start shooting. A heavy gunfight ensues between Vusi and Earnest and Maki's gangsters. After the gunfight is over Muki sneaks up behind Earnest and puts a gun to his head. As he tells Vusi to put his gun down, Karin arrives and points the gun at Muki. He turns around and Vusi runs up to Muki and stabs him with his tribal spear and pushes him out of the window. Muki falls to his death and lands on a car on the street. Vusi, Karin and Earnest then go outside and rejoice about their victory. Vusi calls his fiance and asks her if she will come to South Africa with him for a while to which she accepts. Vusi then invites Karin to come and live in his tribal village for a while with him and Earnest. She agrees and the three drive to back to his village.

Cast

• Ice Cube as Vusi Madlazi
• Elizabeth Hurley as Karen
• Ving Rhames as Muki
• Sechaba Morojele as Ernest Madlazi
• Eric Miyeni as Steven Madlazi
• Greg Latter as Sam

Reception

The film currently holds an 8% "Rotten" rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Soundtrack

Main article: Dangerous Ground (soundtrack)

A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on February 11, 1997 by Jive Records. It peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

External links

• Dangerous Ground at the Internet Movie Database
• Dangerous Ground at Rotten Tomatoes
• Dangerous Ground at Box Office Mojo