There are plenty of laughs in this crime thriller about a small-time thief who's given a clue to the location of a huge amount of stolen gold. The information he holds leads to him (unknowingly) being followed by both the Feds and the criminal who masterminded the gold robbery. The problem is, he's in no position to profit from the knowledge he has because he doesn't know what the clue means.Two robberies from different ends of the criminal spectrum are carried out at the same time and Alvin Sanders (Jamie Foxx) who'd been arrested for his part in the theft of a consignment of prawns, finds himself sharing a prison cell with John Jaster (Robert Pastorelli) who'd been involved in the theft of $42 million worth of gold from the Federal Reserve. Jaster, a man with a serious heart condition, fears that he may not live long enough to get out of prison and so gives Alvin a cryptic message to pass on to his wife. The message which refers to "The Bronx Zoo" and "There's no place like home", means nothing to Alvin and so he gives it no further thought.The gold robbery had been meticulously planned by Bristol (Doug Hutchison) but during the heist, when he needlessly killed two security guards in execution-style shootings, Jaster was so appalled that he deserted his partner and drove off in the getaway vehicle and hid the gold. After being incarcerated, Jaster is questioned by tough U.S. Treasury Agent Edgar Clenteen (David Morse) but suffers a heart attack during the interrogation and dies. This leaves the ruthless Clenteen with nothing to go on and so he decides to manipulate Alvin's early release from prison so that he can put him out on the street and make it generally known that Alvin knows where the gold is. In order to do this, Clenteen illegally arranges for a tracking device to be implanted in Alvin's jaw.The tracking device enables the agents at a control centre to monitor Alvin's precise location at all times and also to listen in to his conversations. This, Clenteen believes, will bring Bristol out into the open and eventually lead to the recovery of the stolen gold."Bait" is an entertaining mixture of action and comedy that includes some well choreographed car chases and stunts. The two dominant colours used are dark-blue and black and they complement the prevailing atmosphere perfectly. Jamie Foxx is brilliant as the hyperactive and apparently not-very-bright Alvin whose personal life and talent for getting into trouble cause problems for both him and the Feds and David Morse makes a big impression as the totally humourless Clenteen. Doug Hutchison is suitably creepy as the soft-spoken psychopathic computer genius whose ability to hack government networks, makes him an on-going threat to the authorities.There's nothing particularly original in "Bait" but what makes it so enjoyable is Jamie Foxx, some crazy over-the-top moments (like the stunt at the end of the movie) and the skillful way in which the violence and the humour are balanced so effectively.

In the course of a massive robbery, psycho Bristol (Doug Hutchison) murders two prisoners and partner Jaster (Robert Pastorelli) abandons him, only to be caught, having stashed the loot. When Jaster dies in custody, Treasury agent Clenteen (David Morse) presses his cellmate Alvin (Jamie Foxx) into being unwitting bait to snare Bristol.This is a perfectly serviceable plot. So is the wrinkle about Alvin discovering he has become a father while he was in prison, and resolving to get a job and become responsible. The balance between gritty action and humour is a little uneasy and makes the film feel as if it doesn't really know what it wants to be.But the big fault lies with two of the characters. Most are absolutely fine, but David Morse's Lenteen has no humanity and is unlikeable, and Foxx's Alvin is so irritating that you want to smack his head together. Yes, I know.

The Good: Much like a train wreck, you can't help but watch. I'll admit that I was entertained. I wanted to know what happened to the gold. Everything else is predictable: the bad guy, the smug tough guy federal agent, the helpless girlfriend and the hostage baby.The Bad: Didn't we see something like this before? "Enemy of the State," perhaps? The Ugly: (1) Stock footage of New York to make it seem like its NYC when all the while 95% of this thing is Canadian. (2)The John Malkovich-like clone of a bad guy. (3)The non-stop Jamie Foxx schtick. I mean he's a funny guy, but it gets tiresome in EVERY scene.CONCLUSION: No one should own this movie. Don't buy the DVD. Don't even bother renting this turkey. It is not worth the rental fee. Check out the public library, I'm sure you can borrow it from there.

...that Jamie Foxx would ever deliver such a wonderful, Oscar-winning performance. One of the reasons why I was so impressed with Foxx's performance in "Ray" was because from watching his hammy, obnoxious acting in movies like "Bait" and "Booty Call," I would never imagine he would ever hold the Oscar. If people told me five years ago that Jamie Foxx was one day going to win an Oscar, I would laugh right in their faces. Who knows? Maybe he's better off sticking to drama, because if you watch "Bait," it's clearly evident that comedy is not his forte. I swear, Jamie mugs so much in this movie that I'm surprised his face didn't fall off. And why does he have to do those stupid voices at every chance he gets? Anyone familiar with comedians like Bob Newhart and Steven Wright knows that doing comedy doesn't require being loud and obnoxious. If a joke is funny, it's funny. If it's not funny, then doing some crazy accent is not going to make it any funnier. The problem I have with some comedians who decide to try acting is that they favor getting laughs over being in character. In real life, normal people don't always have witty comebacks and quips. Like Albert Brooks said in an interview discussing his character in "Taxi Driver," it's important to be funny as your character, rather than be funny as a comedian. A prime example of Jamie violating that rule is the nauseatingly awful scene where his mug shots are being taken, and he starts posing for the photographs like a model. If a regular person were being thrown in jail, would he really be acting goofy while having his mug shots taken? And wouldn't the police try to scold him if he was? There are many scenes like that throughout the film. Another awful sequence is one where Jamie is on the unwittingly on the phone with the villain, and he starts doing a phony Caribbean accent. Not funny! Not to mention Jamie never seems to acknowledge the timing of a joke. Giving a comedic performance requires patience, whereas he goes straight to the punchline, whether it's the right time for it or not. I'm not even a big Mike Epps fan, but even his performance is good in comparison to Jamie's. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I felt somewhat relieved whenever he would appear on screen. Epps has the same flaws when it comes to comedy, but at least he chooses a more low-key approach. One of the few bright spots in this clunker of a comedy is David Morse, a highly underrated actor mostly known for his supporting roles as villains. He seems to be the only actor in the film concerned with grounding it in reality. However, fellow "Green Mile" star Doug Hutchison is disgustingly over-the-top as the villain. A big surprise, considering he gave a superb performance in "The Green Mile," also playing a heavy. Antoine Fuqua has proved his directing chops in movies like "The Replacement Killers" and "Training Day." Even in "Bait," he shows he can direct a hell of an action sequence. His only problem seemed to be in disciplining Jamie Foxx, who probably improvised half the script with one bad joke after another. Unless you're a die-hard fan of Foxx, please don't take the bait.