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 amie Foxx, last seen in Any Given Sunday, stars as Alvin Sanders, a down-on-his-luck thief whose fortune is about to change - for the worse. Landing in jail for a petty theft crime, Alvin finds himself sharing a cell with John Jaster (Robert Pastorelli), the incarcerated half of a pair of high-tech thieves responsible for $42 million in gold stolen from the Federal Reserve. His partner, Bristol (Doug Hutchison) is still at large. To catch the mastermind behind the heist of the decade, the U.S. Treasury Department is going to need fresh bait. All Alvin wants is to get out of prison and start fresh with his girlfriend Lisa (Kimberly Elise). When the feds, led by U.S. Treasury investigator Clenteen (David Morse) set him loose on a sketchy deal, he thinks his luck has finally changed. Alvin has his freedom, and the feds have found their bait. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Replacement Killers), Foxx describes Bait as "a high-tech action thriller with some fun and comedy thrown in." Foxx, whose work in such comedies as Booty Call and in TV projects The Jamie Foxx Show and In Living Color, was recently complemented by an acclaimed performance in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday. Of his character in Bait, Foxx says, "Alvin just gets bad breaks. He's small time looking for big time, and his big time is actually just hanging out with his girl in a |
director outtake |
| one-bedroom apartment. Alvin is just a regular guy who might
take change out of the collection plate at church, but says he's going to
use that change for a godly cause." To Fuqua, Foxx was up to the demands for both action and physical comedy that was critical to the role of Alvin, on whom the success of the film hinged. "I have watched Jamie on In Living Color and in Any Given Sunday," said Fuqua, "and knew that he was not just a tremendously funny comedian, but that he would bring some extra ammunition to the role of Alvin as an actor." Fuqua was committed to a balanced blend of comedy and action. "The humor in this film is subtle, not slapstick," he says. "I wanted to find a way to balance the humor with suspense and action, where the humor doesn't become slapstick, and the action satisfies you when it's meant to be serious." As the film progressed, his admiration for Foxx grew. "He's a hard worker and cares so much about the work. It's amazing to see someone with such fine comedic gifts, also truly deliver in the action sequences." Foxx's talent for improvisation also set the tone for the other actors, as Fuqua explains. "With a comedian you can't really lock them into the jokes you read. This is what Jamie does for a living. His humor is different, and he had to make it his own. He is quick on his feet. He can deliver a line out of nowhere and it's really funny. I had to be prepared for that, and give him as much room as I could." Producer Sean Ryerson believes that Bait will definitely connect with audiences. "The film is a series of adventures and thrilling action sequences that culminate in a never-before-seen stunt sequence." Naturally, he politely suggested we go see the film rather than elaborate further. - Gerry Young |