Diesel stars in “˜thug love story’

Movies involving drug trade usually receive warm welcome at the
box office. People are interested in the elusive business of drug
cartels, evidenced by the success of films like
“Traffic” and “Scarface.”

Director F. Gary Gray attempts to capitalize on this in “A
Man Apart,” which blends the film’s personal issues
with the violence and gore associated with drug trafficking.

“The thing that attracted me to the role was less about
the drugs and more about the love story,” Vin Diesel
said.

Diesel’s stars in “A Man Apart,” which is
supposed to be the movie that allows viewers to witness the
compassionate acting capabilities of Diesel. While
“XXX” is a crazy neo-James Bond badass, in “A Man
Apart” Diesel exudes emotions not seen in his previous
films.

“(He’s) a different shade “¦ a different type
of tough guy, a tough guy who believes in fidelity, so much so that
he can’t even get a lap dance in a strip club,” Diesel
said.

There is a romance between Diesel’s character, Sean
Vetter, and Jacqueline Obrador’s character, Stacy Vetter.
However, Stacy dies midway through the film, impeding any further
development of this romance. This moment in the film transitions
the focus from romance to revenge.

“It’s kind of a thug love story,” Diesel said.
“Ironically that’s what it really is, it’s a
modern-day tragic love story.”

Sean must now take down a new mysterious drug lord known only as
Diablo for Stacy’s death. Diablo has just taken control over
the billion-dollar drug-smuggling business between the United
States and Mexico but is unidentified until the end of the
film.

Gray, who has directed films such as “The
Negotiator,” “Set if Off” and
“Friday,” smoothly integrates many plot twists, which
will leave the viewer puzzled and anxious. In addition, the
scenery, overall environment and different locations in the movie
make it that much more eye-grabbing.

The film is intensely gory and features extreme nudity, yet the
violence and nudity is appropriate to the plot and never completely
gratuitous. The thing that makes this extreme action different than
Diesel’s previous films is that “A Man Apart”
deals with real issues, namely drug trafficking between the United
States and Mexico. This film is intended for a more mature
audience. Some of the graphic nature in “A Man Apart”
was actually influenced by Diesel.

“Vin offered that maybe the best thing that could happen
in this scene is that Sean should kill (the villain) with his bare
hands and that happened on the day of the shoot,” Gray
said.

Gray’s relationship with Diesel is one of respect.

“(Diesel) doesn’t have an ego, if anything, he is a
smart businessman,” Gray said.

This is evident in Diesel’s pursuit to pitch his film as a
romance. If “A Man Apart” were to succeed as a romance
film it would inevitably increase his salary, extend his career,
and improve his range of character choices. This movie makes a
definite effort toward providing viewers with more than explosions
and violence. However, it is still much more a Vin Diesel and drug
movie than it is a love story.