Parents' Guide to

Waist Deep

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Fast-paced action drama is for adults only.

Movie R 2006 97 minutes
Waist Deep Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 2 parent reviews

gabriellagates12345
gabriellagates12345 Adult
September 30, 2021
age 17+

i love the move but i want to know what happen at the end of the movie to 02 how did he survive?

i think its a great movie for people who are 17 and up

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
clarence
clarence Adult
August 4, 2015
age 12+

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Newly released from prison, O2 (Tyrese Gibson) is a security guard and dedicated single father to Junior (H. Hunter Hall). That said, his messages are somewhat mixed: When he learns Junior beat up a boy who picked on him at school, Dad is visibly proud even as he instructs his son not to fight. When his car is stolen with Junior in it, O2 shoots up half the street, killing several bad guys, but he loses his son. O2 sets out to recover Junior with the help of Coco ( Meagan Good). O2's shifty smalltime crook cousin Lucky (Larenz Tate) finds out the boy is being held by Big Meat (rapper The Game). Due to their history as former associates, Big Meat -- who runs a major drug operation, in addition to dealing stolen goods -- wants $100,000 for Junior's return. Distraught father and feisty instant-girlfriend go on a bank robbing spree, labeled in media-moments "a modern day Bonnie and Clyde." The inevitable showdown between O2 and Meat is grim, and sets up a much grander clash between O2 and what looks like half the LAPD.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Loud, fast, and skillfully assembled, WAIST DEEP follows the model of old school B-movies: It makes social and political points under the guise of a generic action plot. While the plot is overtly ludicrous and extremely violent (nearly every scene leads to a shoot-out, beating, or car chase), it works against a background day-long demonstration, "Save Our Streets."

Scholar Michael Eric Dyson (who recently wrote a book criticizing government responses to Hurricane Katrina, Come Hell or High Water, and here plays a radio commentator) and demonstrators weigh in on the "terror in our streets," brought on by poor education and foster care systems, and lack of funding and security. Even as O2 wreaks all kinds of mayhem to rescue Junior, the point is that none of them should be in this position, where criminals run the local economy and the cops are perceived as enemies.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the father's dedication to his son: How does his promise to "always come back for" Junior motivate his illegal actions throughout the film? Why does O2's cousin fail to keep his promises? How does Coco's relationship with O2 inspire her to quit her street hustling and become maternal for Junior? How does the movie's background activity -- the demonstration to "Save Our Streets" -- compete and coincide with O2's apparently necessary violence?

Movie Details

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