Last night, Wednesday, July 2, at 9pm ET/PT, BET Networks premiered the original movie, "Gun Hill," staring Larenz Tate, and directed by Reggie "Rock" Bythewood ("Biker Boyz").
In the film, Tate portrayed twin brothers, Trane and Bird, on opposite sides of the law: Trane, a cop, and Bird, a con. On one fateful night in New York City, Trane is killed. Bird assumes his identity and begins his own search for redemption.
The film also featured Emayatzy Corinealdi, Michael Aronov, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Tawny Cypress and Aisha Hinds.
Consider it a backdoor pilot, as "Being Mary Jane" was for the network; Essentially, an audience "test’ to determine whether to order it to series. So one can assume that if last night’s ratings are strong (we haven’t seen the numbers yet), and BET brass is convinced there’s sufficiently enough interest in it as a series, then, like "Being Mary Jane," it’ll become a series. This would explain the film’s abrupt ending last night, leaving some wondering whether there would be a part 2. It was likely meant to be a cliffhanger, leaving you anticipating what might be to come, in the form of a series.
Jai reviewed the film for S&A last fall, after its premiere at the Urbanworld Film Festival last year. In short, she dug it. Read her thoughts here, and then return to share yours in the comment section below.
Here’s a preview of what you missed if you didn’t watch it (I assume BET will air it again in the near future):