Graffiti Bridge

With the loss of Prince today, I'm taking a look back at some of his lesser known film work. On the silver screen, he only had one box office hit, Purple Rain. In my last entry I talked about his follow up to that, Under The Cherry Moon. Now, I'm going to take a look back at his final film role, 1990's Graffiti Bridge.

In this sort of sequel to Purple Rain, The Kid, Prince, and his former rival Morris, Morris Day are now co-owners in the club that gave them their start. Unhappy with the crooked way Morris runs the operation, The Kid wants control of the club, leading the foes to an epic music battle for the venue.

I remember really looking forward to this because it was a Purple Rain sequel, but other than the same characters it's a totally different film. Prince, who also wrote and directed, gives the film a more somber and spiritual vibe. Even Day isn't as clownish and funny as he was the first time around. The film was originally supposed to be a vehicle for The Time before becoming a Purple Rain follow up, which could have be entertaining.

The film isn't a total wash however. The music really rocks. And it is visually impressive.

Graffiti Bridge is a mixed bag of a film, but does have some merits.

It's available on dvd.