3 A.M. (2001)

Watch this if....you want to see a moving about people figuring themselves out. This was billed as more of a serial killer type film, but has a surprisingly very strong romantic theme.Acting/Casting: 5.5* - Danny Glover is solid in the lead role and gives a good performance. I have never been a Michelle Rodriguez fan and this movie didn't change my mind. Pam Grier is okay, but should stick to playing a role with a gun in her hand. The remainder of the cast does a very nice job in their supporting roles.Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 7* - I felt the one thing that this film did very well was that it captured New York. The viewer really gets an idea of what New York is all about and the movie has a good flow to it. In my opinion, this area is the strongest aspect of this film.Plot/Characters: 5* - A non-committal romantic, an immigrant hoping for a better life, and a woman scarred by her past ghosts play cabbies in New York city. The sub-plot is that there is someone killing cab drivers on the graveyard shift and he is still at large. It is nothing new and an average plot.Entertainment Value: 6* - It manages to entertain, but don't expect your typical serial killer movie. This movie is much more about these individuals finding themselves than a thriller. I'm glad I watched it, but probably won't have the desire to again.My Score: 5.5+7+5+6 = 23.5/4 = 5.9Email your thoughts to [email protected]

During a day we follow that of a couple of taxi drivers in New York who focus and reflect on the important things and problems about their lives with each other. First off the cab there's Hershey who was a former Knicks player and after a serious injury his life went down the drain, where we learn that his having a bit trouble committing to his girlfriend George. Second follows that of a young, hard-eyed woman Salgado who believes her horrific past has come back to destroy her and finally a Bosnian immigrant Rasha who can't keep his mind on the job, therefore he gets in a lot of car accidents and maybe one real fatal one too. To make matters worse for these folks, there's a serial killer targeting taxi drivers.There's a lot stuff going on in these characters' heads, but the meter is still running! Like others I felt a bit conned, as I believed this was a serial killer flick like the package seems advertise, but actually it's far from it. As this certain aspect of the premise is more a background tool for the bigger picture. But that in mind it's still a fair film by capturing the rough-and-tumble slice of reality with the always-moving city-life. Where we get a life in a day of a taxi driver with a whole lot of issues facing these patrons like love to life-making decisions. But it's main problem was that the plot has way too much going amongst its unfocused narrative and it's cluttered with people coming and going with some receiving too little insight of their ever-growing situations. The film was just too short with what they had to say here, giving no real sense of closure by spreading too much over this canvass. Simply they could have left out some of these sub-plots that were briskly concluded or like I said before -- up the running time to get a little more meat out of those stories instead of the incomplete feel we do get from it. The story does lack cohesion since we follow three different stories, but it keeps one intrigue on how things are going to play out, even though some things lack bite, get a bit sentimental and take the easy option out. The chatty (but very raw) script milks basically anything of importance, where we get to the character's outlook on life and watch density shine through, while they play their luck. The character's interactions are naturally good and they are always kept busy and have a decent sense of humour, which always goes down well. The direction by Lee Davis (who has been under the wing of Spike Lee and making his directorial debut) is competently done with some flashy imprints, quick moving pace and he manages stage a thickly layered atmosphere of uncertainty and darkness of New York. The slick editing doesn't distract and on hand is mostly a smooth jazzy score that fits right in. The performances are nothing too special, but I thought the main leads Danny Glover, Pam Grier, Michelle Rodriguez, Sergej Trifunovic and Sarita Choudhury handled their roles in a fine manner. There's also a small cameo part by Spike Lee.This (old Sundance) feature is a decent time waster, but it's ambitious attitude tries for too much in too little time. So the question is; is it worth the fare?

"3 a.m." shuttles between a half dozen characters having to do with a struggling NYC cab company and a diner frequented by some of the drivers during the reign of terror of a cabby killer. A confused and unsatisfying watch, "3 a.m." is a jambalaya of people and circumstances which, for the most part, are uninteresting, poorly developed, and lacking in cohesion. Pass on this one.

Nice movie; script seemed a bit unpolished, but overall splendid performance by Glover and Grier. Their characters seem both real and empathetic. Several of the younger actors seemed visibly awkward in front of the camera, and some seemed overdrawn.Again, overall, enjoyable flick. Look forward to seeing Davis' next film...