Paid in Full

2002, Crime/Drama, 1h 37m

43 Reviews 10,000+ Ratings

critics consensus

Though well-acted and non-exploitative, Paid in Full treads a very well-worn story. Read critic reviews

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Paid in Full Photos

Paid in Full (2002)

Paid in Full (2002)

Paid in Full (2002)

Paid in Full (2002)

Mekhi Phifer, Wes "Maestro" Williams (passenger) and Wood Harris (back) in Charles Stone III's PAID IN FULL.

Wood Harris, Mekhi Phifer and Cam'Ron in Charles Stone III's PAID IN FULL.

Cam"Ron and Mekhi Phifer in Charles Stone III"s PAID IN FULL.

Cam'Ron and Wood Harris in Charles Stone III's PAID IN FULL.

Wood Harris and Mekhi Phifer with director Charles Stone III on the set of Charles Stone III's PAID IN FULL.

Executive producer Ron Rotholz, Jay Black, producer Damon Dash and Cam'Ron on the set of Charles Stone III's PAID IN FULL.

Director Charles Stone III on the set of his film PAID IN FULL.

Wood Harris and Regina Hall in Charles Stone III's PAID IN FULL.

View All Photos (29)

Movie Info

In the late 1980s, Ace (Wood Harris) is a young man employed by a Harlem dry cleaning shop, working hard to stay out of the drug business. While making deliveries, he meets Lulu (Esai Morales), a drug dealer who convinces Ace to join him. Ace recruits his friends Mitch (Mekhi Phifer) and Rico (Cam'ron), and the trio become major players in the Harlem drug underworld, a violent business that will test the friends' loyalty and wits as the money rolls in and the dangers grow beyond their control.

Rating:

R (Some Strong Sexuality|Pervasive Language|Drug Content|Violence)
Genre:

Crime, Drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Charles Stone III
Producer:

Brett Ratner, Damon Dash, Jay-Z
Writer:

Matthew Cirulnick, Thuliani Davis, Azie Faison Jr., Austin Phillips
Release Date (Theaters):

Oct 25, 2002 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 8, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA):

$3.0M
Runtime:

1h 37m
Distributor:

Miramax Films
Sound Mix:

Surround

Cast & Crew

Wood Harris
Ace

Mekhi Phifer
Mitch

Kevin Carroll
Calvin

Esai Morales
Lulu

Chi McBride
Pip

Cam'ron
Rico

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Paid in Full

All Critics (43) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (20)

Full Review… Susan Stark Detroit News

Full Review… Richard Roeper Ebert & Roeper

Full Review… Ted Fry Seattle Times

Full Review… Carla Meyer San Francisco Chronicle

Full Review… Megan Turner New York Post

Full Review… Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly

Full Review… Brian Costello Common Sense Media

Full Review… Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Full Review… Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com

Full Review… Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com

Full Review… Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com

Full Review… Phil Villarreal Arizona Daily Star

View All Critic Reviews (43)

Audience Reviews for Paid in Full

Jul 10, 2011

Paid in Full has a gritty realistic quality that is excellent in its' world building. It's well acted by largely unknowns, and succeeds in painting a real picture of Harlem without making it glamorous. The pacing, however is uneven, with the film seemingly dragging at points. More time should also have been devoted to fleshing out some of the characters. Still, its realism reminded me of The Wire, the greatest crime show ever.

Jeffrey M Super Reviewer
Sep 29, 2008

bombazz movie, good story, 3 good actors doin there thang on screen. a instant classic a must have

khalvic b Super Reviewer

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