Cradle 2 the Grave

2003 Action/Adventure

A thief and a lawman join forces to hunt down a common enemy in this action thriller. Tony Fait (DMX) is a master thief who, along with his crew (Gabrielle Union, Anthony Anderson, and Drag-On), pulls off a major score when they steal a cache of highly valuable black diamonds. However, the hard-as-nails Tony has a soft spot for his young daughter Vanessa (Paige Hurd), and Ling (Mark Dacascos), a former detective turned ruthless criminal, kidnaps Vanessa, demanding a ransom from Tony for her return -- the stash of black diamonds. The jewels have already been stolen, however, from Tony's fence Archie (Tom Arnold), and are now in the hands of a powerful underworld boss (Chi McBride). Determined to get back his daughter whatever the cost, Tony and his gang set out to find both Ling and the diamonds, but he soon gets some invaluable help from an unlikely corner -- Su (Jet Li), a government agent from Taiwan who was once Ling's partner, and has an old score to settle with him. Cradle 2 the Grave also features Kelly Hu and Roxana Brusso. more..

Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak

Starring: Jet Li, DMX, Anthony Anderson, Kelly Hu, Tom Arnold

Reviews

  • This is a ride, a video game, a soundtrack -- unapologetic and clearly labeled as such. It has no middle speed.

    Janice Page - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

  • By the time Li enters the obligatory ''ring of fire'' to face his final opponent, you realize just how forthrightly rote and businesslike ''Cradle'' is. And you don't mind. Because business, it turns out, is good.

    - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • The film itself is on autopilot and overdrive at the same time: It does nothing original, but does it very rapidly.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Between the off-center comic riffs of Tom Arnold and the wildly improbable hair's-breadth escapes, the whole business dissolves into amiable action farce.

    - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • Each actor does his own thing for his own audience demographic.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Female

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2004)

     
  • Best Actress

    BET Awards (2003)

     
  • Best Fight

    MTV Movie Awards (2003)

     
  • Best High Work

    World Stunt Awards (2004)