A Low Down Dirty Shame
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''A Low Down Dirty Shame'' is a 1994 American
action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...
written, directed, and starring
Keenen Ivory Wayans Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans (born June 8, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, director and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch c ...
. The film also stars Charles S. Dutton, Jada Pinkett, Salli Richardson and Corwin Hawkins, who died before the film was released on August 5, 1994.


Plot

Former LAPD detective Andre Shame is a wisecracking, gun-toting private investigator who owns A Low Down Dirty Shame Investigations. He runs it with his energetic and talkative assistant Peaches, whom he arrested shoplifting six years earlier and to whom he has developed a slight attraction. Despite the high-risk jobs, Shame is unable to keep the firm afloat, and may be forced to close. Five years ago, Shame and a team of detectives traveled to Mexico to apprehend drug lord, Ernesto Mendoza. Though Shame seemingly shot and killed Mendoza in a shootout, the other detectives were killed, with Shame and colleague Sonny Rothmiller being the only survivors. This caused Shame to leave the force in disgrace. In the present day, Rothmiller, who is now working for the DEA, tells him that Mendoza is still alive. He hires Shame to find the only witness who would testify against him...his ex-girlfriend Angela, who was caught in the middle of a love triangle with the two men. Angela escaped from the Witness Protection Program in New York and is in LA. Shame is hesitant at first, but seeing this as a chance to arrest the man who took everything from him, decides to take the case. Shame gets information on one of Mendoza's lieutenants, Luis, Shame's former childhood acquaintance, then goes to a restaurant and has Luis warn Mendoza that Shame is coming for him. Upon arriving home, Shame is attacked by Mendoza's henchmen and warned by a very much alive Mendoza to back off. With the help of Peaches and her homosexual roommate Wayman, Shame tracks Angela to a posh hotel, and calls Sonny. Shame explains that he originally went to Mexico for her. She tells Shame that she was going to testify against Mendoza, but Mendoza found her location, forcing her to flee. Shame discovers that Rothmiller is working for Mendoza, and the two barely escape Mendoza's thugs. Shame drops Angela at Peaches’. Shame cleans himself up, then abducts Luis and takes him to an abandoned building. When Luis refuses to give Shame Mendoza's whereabouts, Shame has him stumble into a meeting of white supremacists. With the supremacists chasing him, he gives Shame his boss' location in exchange for a ride. But Shame leaves him at their mercy. At the club, Shame and Mendoza exchange words, then get into a Mexican standoff with Mendoza using his date as a hostage. When Wayman attempts to get Shame's attention, Mendoza uses the distraction to escape. Shame goes to Peaches to find Angela gone (she and Peaches had gotten into an argument earlier), and Capt. Nunez waiting for him. He has Nunez place Peaches in protective custody and heads off to find Angela. Shame meets Angela at a storage locker and discovers the real reason Mendoza wants her dead: she stole $20 million of his money. At a motel Shame receives a call from Mendoza informing him he has kidnapped Peaches and will exchange her for Angela and his money. The two agree to meet at a Mendoza-owned shopping mall. Angela tries to convince Shame to leave with her, yet admitting that he cares for Peaches, Shame refuses and the two of them head to the mall. Before the exchange, Sonny admits he was the one who killed the other detectives, because they wouldn't take Mendoza's bribe without Shame. He left Shame alive to take the blame. Peaches and Angela are placed on the escalator, and Mendoza discovers that Angela is a mannequin. With a gun hidden on the escalator Peaches begins shooting. Shame kills the mercenaries hired by Sonny, Luis is attacked by the dogs that were supposed to kill Shame, and Sonny is killed by Angela. Mendoza captures Peaches, only to be confronted by Shame. After winning a fistfight, Shame arrests Mendoza, who is then killed by Angela. She attempts to kill Shame, telling him she knows he won’t allow her to keep the money she stole. Peaches comes and fights off Angela. Nunez threatens to arrest Shame, but Shame reminds Nunez that he helped take down a drug lord, identified Sonny as the DEA mole, found a federal witness on the run (Angela, who is lead away in handcuffs for her crimes), and recovered $15 million in stolen drug money. Nunez reluctantly lets Shame go. Shame keeps $5 million for expenses, with Peaches getting perks of a romantic relationship with Shame.


Cast

*
Keenen Ivory Wayans Keenen Ivory Desuma Wayans (born June 8, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, director and filmmaker. He is a member of the Wayans family of entertainers. Wayans first came to prominence as the host and creator of the 1990–1994 Fox sketch c ...
as Andre Shame * Charles S. Dutton as Sonny Rothmiller * Jada Pinkett as "Peaches" Jordan * Salli Richardson as Angela Flowers * Andrew Divoff as Ernesto Mendoza * Corwin Hawkins as Wayman Harrington * Gary Cervantes as Luis *
Gregory Sierra Gregory Joseph Sierra (January 25, 1937 – January 4, 2021) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amengual on ''Barney Miller''; Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on '' Sanford and Son ...
as Captain Nunez * Chris Spencer as Benny * Don Diamont as Chad *
John Capodice John Capodice (December 25, 1941 – December 30, 2024) was an American character actor. Acting career Television Capodice began his film and television career in the late 1970s. His first role was in the ABC-TV soap opera '' Ryan's Hope'', whe ...
as Mob Boss * Andrew Shaifer as Bernard * Kim Wayans as Diane * René Hicks as Hooker


Soundtrack

A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on November 8, 1994, by
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...
and
Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...
. It peaked at #70 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and #14 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
.


Reception


Year-end lists

* Top 10 worst (not ranked) – Dan Webster, ''
The Spokesman-Review ''The Spokesman-Review'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Spokane, Washington, the city's sole remaining daily publication. It has the third-highest readership among daily newspapers in the state, with most of its readership base in ...
'' * Top 18 worst (alphabetically listed, not ranked) – Michael Mills, ''
The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and '' The Palm Beach Daily News' ...
''


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Low Down Dirty Shame, A 1990s American films 1990s English-language films 1990s police comedy films 1994 action comedy films 1994 action films 1994 comedy films 1994 films African-American action comedy films American detective films American police detective films Caravan Pictures films English-language action comedy films English-language crime comedy films Films directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans Films produced by Joe Roth Films produced by Roger Birnbaum Films scored by Marcus Miller Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in California Hollywood Pictures films