IN TOO DEEP (1999)

IN TOO DEEP (105 mins., R) As a rookie undercover cop who infiltrates a Cincinnati cocaine ring, Omar Epps does something fresh with the familiar -- but always juicy -- situation of an actor playing a cop who's essentially an actor. To win the trust of a brutal gang lord who calls himself God (LL Cool J), Cole has to prove himself a homicidal street demon. Unfortunately, the movie wanders off into dull subplots, so that when we're told that Cole is in danger of actually becoming his underworld persona, we don't buy it for a moment. C+