Genre: Action/Superhero
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Writers: Jimmy Ellis & Dwight Gallo
Based on Marvel Comics characters
Cast: Omari Hardwick, Chris Tucker, Olivia Munn, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sharon Leal, Fred Williamson, Colman Domingo, Meagan Good, Martin Short
Plot: Harlem, New York - 1972. Carl Lucas (Omari Hardwick) and his best friend Willis (Chris Tucker) sit on the steps of a brownstone building. Willis is running a small-time numbers and bookie racket in the neighborhood. Lucas acts as protection for Willis' racket so that they don't get hassled by any other operations. While Willis takes bets on that afternoon's Mets game, he gives a soliloquy about how he dreams of opening up a bigger operation - a neighborhood casino. Lucas laughs off the idea, joking that Willis is going to have to do a lot more than run numbers to the poor folk in their neighborhood to afford a set-up like that. Willis doesn't laugh and tells Lucas to watch it happen. When members of a Latino gang come by to give Willis a hard time and try to encroach on his territory, Lucas at first watches as they harass Willis, but as soon as they raise a fist in his direction Lucas is up on his feet. He quickly fights off the entire group with ease. Willis pats Lucas on the back and says that he couldn't run his business without him.
Later that same day, Willis is in his run down home with his girlfriend Reva (Sharon Leal), the two of them are arguing about the state of his business, she tells him that his visions of this casino are unattainable, he is barely making enough money now to keep the house. She remains sure of herself that this business will go down and she doesn’t want to be brought down with him. He stands and calmly reassures her that everything will be fine, the casino will be built and they will be filthy rich. She looks at him, tears coming from her face and tells him to open his eyes. She storms out of the house and onto the street. Willis walks around the house with a smile on his face, in a sudden rage he then smashes glass and throws things across the living room. He appears to calm himself down for a moment, then walks out the door.
Reva knocks on the door of an apartment building, men a few doors down whistle at her. Lucas answers the door, surprised to see Reva without Willis. He welcomes her inside, he asks if everything is ok – evidently it is not, from the makeup running down her face. She asks him to please talk some sense into Willis, this casino fantasy has gone too far. Lucas says she knows him just as much as he does, once Willis has his mind set there is no changing it. Lucas adds that he will however have a talk with Willis. Reva thanks him, and looks at the time saying she needs to be going, she is going to her mother’s place. Arriving in the front of the apartment building is Willis. He stops at the corner as he sees Reva exit Lucas’ place. Willis is enraged as he walks back down the street away from them.
The next morning, Willis arrives at Lucas’ place. The two of them have a talk. Lucas brings up the neighborhood casino, Willis remains adamant that it is what is best for Harlem, and his family, that includes Lucas. Lucas smiles adding that for Willis’ sake it happens. Rocks are thrown at Lucas’ door and window, he immediately runs outside to chase after the punks. Willis, while alone, unzips his bag, inside 3kg of cocaine, Willis raises Lucas mattress and puts it underneath. Lucas comes back in apologizing for what just happened. Willis pays no mind and tells him that he is coming to the top of Harlem with him, no matter what goes down. He hugs Lucas before leaving. Willis drives until he reaches a street phone, he anonymously gives them a tip that there is a large amount of cocaine at the address of Carl Lucas.
Lucas is arrested, adamant that he has been set up. Willis visits him before he is sent off and, putting on an act, tells Lucas he will find who did this. Lucas is subsequently sentenced to 20 years behind bars in maximum security prison – Seagate Prison - off the coast of New Jersey.
Once an inmate of Seagate, Lucas quickly discovers that the inmates are used for various scientific and medical experiments. He is taken from his cell in chains and into a room deep in the basement of the prison and strapped to a table. Dr. Noah Burstein (Martin Short) emerges and introduces himself in a friendly manner to Lucas. He holds his hands out to shake Lucas’ hands before realizing that Lucas can’t shake his hand back due to the restraints. Lucas demands to know what’s going on. Burstein explains to Lucas that he has been chosen as a subject in the Project Warhawk. Lucas asks what the hell that means, and Burstein excitedly explains that he has been working on a device - which he calls the Electro-Biochemical System - ever since the 1940s designed to stimulate human cell regeneration, which could has all kinds of applications like curing disease, healing wounds and even potentially halting the aging process. As Burstein hooks the device up to Lucas, he does warn that he hasn’t worked out all the kinks yet, so Lucas will definitely feel some pain. Burstein then activates the device. Lucas screams out in agony.
Five years into his incarceration, 1977, Lucas receives a letter from his father informing him of his mother’s death. Fed up and angry, Lucas asks to see Dr Burstein. Upon seeing him, he demands that Burstein turn up the intensity levels of the experiment, explaining that he can handle it, when really he quietly hopes it kills him. Burstein immediately gets him in the machine and turns the levels up. After a moment of anguish, the pain subsides. The machine is turned off by Burstein and Lucas breathes heavily. Burstein is amazed, he asks what Lucas feels, “Nothing”.
Back in his cell, Lucas stands and faces the back wall, the wall with dry blood on it. He begins punching the exact spot and to his surprise the wall begins to break. He hits it once more and the wall crumbles away, Lucas walks out through the wall, and runs toward the boat waiting to go back to the mainland. He sneaks on and hides under sheets, escaping Seagate Prison.
The boat reaches the mainland, Lucas waits for a moment before making a run for it – easier than he thought. He runs through an alley, and seeing clothes hanging up he changes into them, albeit they are a little small on him.
Lucas returns to his hometown of Harlem, a few faces shocked to see him back. He is on his way to visit his father. On the way, he is stopped by a gang of young hoodlums. Lucas is prepared to fight them all when the group is broken up by Willis, who tells the gang to leave his old friend alone. Willis offers to give Lucas a tour of ‘his’ neighborhood – a neighborhood of which is in worse shape than before Lucas was incarcerated. Willis is sure to boast about being “the king of Harlem'' and controlling all of the rackets in the neighborhood. Willis then quietly asks how he got out of prison so early. Lucas lies and says he was released early on good behavior. Lucas tells him he would love to catch up but right now he needs to see his father. As Lucas is walking off Willis calls out apologizing for his mothers death.
Knocking on his fathers door, Lucas stands in silence. His father, James (Fred Williamson) answers with a shocked look on his face, without saying anything he walks inside, Lucas follows, the house a mess. The two of them sit down, James drinking whiskey – seems like he had been drinking for most of the day. Lucas asks him how he’s coping. James scoffs telling him he doesn’t need his sentimental bullshit. He blames Lucas and all his prior criminal activity for the death of his mother. Lucas insists that he was framed – he may have been in a gang but he never messed around with no drugs – and he intends to find out who set him up and make them pay. James laughs saying he may not have touched drugs but that little gang “family” of his, was the one to get his mother killed.
Vice detective Misty Knight (Nathalie Emmanuel) is on the streets of Harlem in plain clothes canvassing the area. A recent increase in tainted drugs in the area has led to many an overdose. She plans to find out the suppliers. She walks to the corner of an alley and buys some drugs from a man, she then turns the corner and stakes him out until he moves on.
At the same time Lucas is starting his own investigation. He comes across a few different street level drug pushers. He beats them trying to receive answers from them on who set him up, one of them laughs as he is beaten, the other two cry, saying they have no idea. They plead with him saying they have only been on the corners for a year. Having no useful information Lucas leaves them laying on the floor.
Private Investigator Jessica Jones (Olivia Munn) sees Lucas walking away from the scene as she does surveillance. She had been hired by a woman to track down her son's killer. She stalks him for a block until he reaches another drug pusher, Lucas takes him into the alley and tries to receive information from him, once more he comes up empty handed. After she watches him beat the man up she approaches him and offers him a job with her firm, Lucas turns it down. He tells her he doesn’t want a job beating people up.
Willis is in his office smoking a cigar and counting stacks of money when he is paid a visit from local Harlem councilman Cornell Stokes (Colman Domingo). Willis appears nervous and asks Stokes what brings him down to his humble establishment. Stokes informs Willis that drug dealers all over Harlem have been getting beaten to a pulp over the last handful of nights. He explains that normally this wouldn’t concern him, but those particular drug dealers worked for him. Willis asks if it is a rival gang, but Stokes says his men insist it was a single, unarmed man they were up against.
On a park bench Misty sits next to a man reading the paper, he tells her that several of the dealers she has made contact with have ended up in the hospital. She asks them who did it, he says some guys on the streets are calling Luke Cage.
While in an alley, searching for answers, Lucas stumbles upon a young teen that has overdosed on drugs. After slight hesitation he scoops the young boy up and rushes him to the nearest person that can help, a local nurse that lives in the neighborhood, Claire Temple (Meagan Good). She is surprised to see him already out of prison, clearly the two have some sort of past. She rushes Lucas and the boy inside. Temple injects the kid with a large needle in the chest, bringing him back to consciousness.
Misty is walking on the streets of Harlem as she notices a man leaving a building matching the description of “Luke Cage”. Misty approaches him and asks what his name is, he doesn’t answer telling her he doesn’t talk to police. She asks him about the beatings and if he’s seen anything as he’s continuing to walk away he says he doesn’t talk to police. She asks him if he is Luke Cage. He stops for a second, thinking he can ditch Carl Lucas and become a new man. He then continues to walk. Misty watches on.
Willis gives Luke a tour of his new underground casino. Willis brags that he has most of the games rigged to make bigger profits off those in the neighborhood. Luke asks whatever happened to an honest numbers operation, and Willis jokes that honesty and fairness don’t pay the bills. Reva shows up at the operation and Luke greets her. Willis instantly becomes angry and orders Reva to leave. Reva smiles at Luke before following Willis’ demand.
At his father’s house, Luke hears gunshots outside that startle him. James laughs at his son, saying it happens almost every night, people around here have accepted it as the norm. This upsets Luke who leaves the house. He walks to Jessica’s office and takes her up on the job offer. She asks when he can start and he tells her as soon as he’s needed. She tells him that she is tailing a crooked politician tomorrow and she might need the muscle. Luke looks forward to it.
Luke and Jessica are on a job following crooked politician Cornell Stokes. He is backed up by three security guards. They watch from a distance as Stokes is handed some money by some local gangsters, to keep the police off their backs. Luke is spotted by one of the gang members due to his size. The gangsters and the guards open fire on the two of them. Luke steps in front of Jessica and the bullets stop dead in their tracks falling to the ground. Luke looks down at his chest, unsure of what just happened, Jessica is shocked but relieved. He tells Jessica to run, and get out of the area. Luke charges the gangsters and security guards. He grabs one of the gangsters and throws him in the air, he lands with a thud as Luke continues to beat-down the other men. One of the guards lands a solid right hand but it just fractures his hand. Luke knocks most of them out with one punch. All of the commotion however led to Stokes’ escape. Luke walks back toward Jessica who exclaims that she could go for a drink.
Misty investigates the crime scene of the shootout and finds the bullets crushed on the ground. She deduces that it could once again be Luke Cage. She intends to find him.
Jessica and Luke are out for drinks. The two of them get to talking, Jessica tells him that as a child her parents died in a car accident, the other driver was never brought to justice, that’s the reason she moved to Harlem and wanted to become an officer. When she realized the cops were dirty, she moved into the PI business. Standing behind her, Misty reminds her that not all cops are dirty. Jessica looks up knowing her and places her hand on her shoulder as a help to stand, “not all cops”. Misty sits down and once again tries talking to Luke. After a bit of loosening up from the drinks he says he will answer one question she has. She says that since he’s been around there have been weird things going on, she simply asks who he is. He tells her he is Luke Cage, he grew up in the neighborhood and is back now after a long time away. Jessica returns giving Misty her cue to leave, she thanks Luke for his time. She asks what that was about, he tells her she wanted to know about him. Jessica wants to know too. Luke tells her the same thing. Jessica tells him it's fine to keep secrets but she will find them out eventually. Jessica tells him that she has some photos of Stokes meeting with his second in charge, she shows him the photo and it is Stokes with Willis. Based on Luke’s reaction, Jessica deduces that Luke knows the man. After the two of them leave the bar they stumble across a robbery in process. Luke decides to step in and stop it. He knocks out the two criminals with ease. Afterward he confesses to Jessica that he likes helping people. Jessica tells him if he likes helping people he should go talk to his friend, Willis, that way he can help the whole neighborhood. He tells her he will go there first thing the next morning.
Returning to his father’s home Luke begins to settle in. His father walks by and asks how his cleaning of the neighborhood is going. Luke looks to his father asking how it is he could live with all this crime going on in Harlem. James takes a seat next to him and tells him that all this crime, it’s always been here, his eyes have finally been opened to it. James asks if he at least has some help in his fight against crime, Luke says he thinks he found some people he can trust. James stands and walks to leave, Luke tells him that he might want to lay low for a little bit, he doesn’t want his actions to put his father in harm's way, as James walks out the door he tells him that they already have.
Luke arrives at the casino and walks upstairs to Willis’ office. The two of them start with a bit of small talk while they drink. The small talk leads to Willis bringing up that a man has apparently been out on the street cleaning up the city. He questions Luke on whether it has been him, he tries to entice him to tell the truth by saying he is glad that the city is finally getting clean. Luke tells him he’ll keep an eye out. Willis asks what it is that brought him here. Luke asks how the business is going, Willis tells him the casino is thriving, better than he ever imagined, even in his wildest dreams. Luke congratulates him, he then asks if he is running any other business. Willis chuckles, asking if he wants in or something, Luke tells him he does not but he just wants to know if his brother is into any shady business. Willis laughs again saying that things have changed in Harlem ever since Luke went away. The two of them hug before Willis has to head off to a meeting, Luke leaves the casino.
Luke and Jessica go to see Reva at her home. She answers the door, looking like she was just applying her makeup, a black eye can vaguely be seen beneath it. Seeing Luke, she tells him that he shouldn’t be here. He questions as to why, but she just ushers him and Jessica inside. She asks them what they want. Luke does all the talking telling her that they want to know what Willis is doing, what operations is he running. Reva begins to get nervous, she tells them that the only reason she is saying this is because Willis has been overly aggressive lately, ever since the man has been taking out his dealers. Dealers? Luke asks, she says that a man named Luke Cage has been taking out Willis’ dealer all over town. Jessica looks to Luke, Luke asks Reva what Willis is running, she tells him it’s a bit of everything, but mainly heroin. Luke and Jessica help Reva, as they leave she begs them not to let slip that she told them, Jessica tells her that her secrets are safe. When outside Jessica looks to him asking what his real name is, Luke tells her that that is a story for another day, Jessica gets in the car to go back to the office but Luke walks.
Misty is in the casino snooping around. Willis spots her from across the casino floor and recognises her as a police officer, due to dirty cops, he orders his men to detain her. Two men walk over and tell her to come with them. She refuses and begins to fight them, she knees one in the stomach leaving him dry heaving, the other punches her and drags her away. Willis receives a phone call, after a moment he says he will be there shortly.
Willis arrives home to a waiting Reva. He grabs his gun out of his holster and monologues walking toward Reva, telling her just how dangerous a gun can be. He places it on the table next to the lounge. He jumps onto the lounge next to her and kisses her neck, all the way up to her lips. While his lips are on hers he reaches for the table and shoots her in the neck. He continues kissing her as she bleeds to death.
Willis rings Stokes and tells him about what’s going on, Reva telling Jessica and Luke about the heroin. Stokes reminds Willis to refer to him as “Cottonmouth” any time they are talking about illicit business and says the more people that know the worse for his reputation. He says that he will take care of it and expects him to take care of Reva, Willis tells him it’s already been done.
Cottonmouth’s goons arrive at Jessica’s office and put a bag over her head, she tries to fight back blind, but they knock her around a bit, they tie her hands together and throw her in the back of the car. They arrive at the casino and throw her in the same room as Misty. The two of them look at each other.
Luke finds Jessica's office empty and ransacked. He starts looking through the neighborhood for Misty, but she's also nowhere to be found. Luke tells his father that he may have to go do something he may not return from. James goes to his closet and grabs an old shotgun. He loads it up and gives it to Luke, hoping it will help him with whatever he has to do. Luke hugs his father.
Luke goes down to Willis' casino and begins firing the shotgun to get the customers out of the building. Luke fights off an army of thugs until finally making his way to Willis' office where Jessica and Misty are both tied up. Willis insists that he never meant to be dealing any tainted drugs to anyone, but he's trying to make hay while the sun shines - you can't run the neighborhood without a lot of cash flow. Willis then reveals that he was the one who framed Luke all those years ago for messing around with his lady. He then also lets it slip that Reva is dead now, so that can't happen again. Luke punches Willis in the face several times, until Willis’ face is a bloody mess, and unties the women. When Luke, Jessica and Misty are trying to leave, an army of Cottonmouth's goons arrive. Luke, Jessica and Misty fight their way through the army. Luke stands in front of Jessica and Misty, blocking the gunfire from Cottonmouth’s goons. He walks slowly toward the exit, bullets bouncing off of his chest, as Jessica and Misty crouch behind Luke and fire their guns at the enemies.
When they make it outside, they see Cottonmouth's car driving away from the scene. Once Willis finally wakes up, Misty places him under arrest for the murder of Reva. After shoving him into the back of a squad car, Misty thanks Luke for his help and says that a neighborhood like Harlem needs people like Luke who are willing to fight for it. She gives him a kiss on the cheek before getting into the front of the car to take Willis down to the station. Luke goes back to Jessica’s office. Luke asks what the next job is. Jessica doesn’t answer his question, kissing him instead.
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