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News of October 10, 2006

Gridlock’d as a Steelbook DVD

In October 2006, the site reported a steelbook edition of “Gridlock’d.” What the DVD promised, and why the film was not Tupac's last role after all.

Ten years after Tupac’s death, a collector’s edition was slated to hit shelves: on October 10, 2006, the site pointed to a reissue of Gridlock’d from Universal. Starting October 26, 2006, the steelbook DVD was scheduled to be released with German and English audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 and an age 16 rating. The post drew on retailer listings and press copy for the details.

Stretch and Spoon in the Mills of Bureaucracy

Gridlock’d was the directorial debut of Vondie Curtis-Hall, who also wrote the screenplay. In it, Curtis-Hall drew on his own experiences: as a young man, he had overcome a heroin addiction himself. Tim Roth and Tupac play friends Stretch and Spoon, two heroin addicts who decide to enter rehab after their friend Cookie (Thandiwe Newton) overdoses, only to end up caught in the mills of bureaucracy. The score was written by Stewart Copeland, the former drummer of The Police.

The film hit US theaters on January 29, 1997, a good four months after Tupac’s death. Critics praised it for the most part: Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars, and Janet Maslin in The New York Times highlighted Tupac’s mix of presence, confidence, and humor. The accompanying soundtrack from Death Row and Interscope debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The press copy adopted by the post called Gridlock’d Tupac’s “last role.” That was not true: Tupac’s final film was Gang Related with James Belushi, filmed in August 1996 and released on October 8, 1997. Director Jim Kouf later recalled that Tupac was shot ten days after filming wrapped. The 87-minute runtime cited in the post is explained by the faster PAL playback speed; the theatrical cut runs about 91 minutes.

Whether the Steelbook Was Released Remains Unclear

Whether the steelbook edition actually reached stores as announced on October 26, 2006, can no longer be independently confirmed today. Gridlock’d itself remained one of the most important films in Tupac’s filmography and is considered by many to be his most compelling acting performance alongside Juice.