Paid in Full Explores the Highs and Lows of Three Friends Navigating the Treacherous and Deadly World of Drug Dealing in the 1980s
The 2002 film has been praised by many for its raw and introspective look into the lives of three young men trying to survive the treacherous landscape of the Harlem drug world
Released in 2002 by Miramax Films and produced by Damon Dash for Roc-A-Fella Films, the crime drama Paid in Full has since become a cult classic, especially within the hip-hop world.
Directed by Charles Stone III, the film depicts the rise and fall of three friends as they navigate the treacherous and deadly world of the drug trade in Harlem during the mid-1980s.
This was during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in New York City, where teenagers could make enough money selling drugs to afford the latest luxury cars, even if they were not yet old enough to obtain a driver’s license.
Those young men who could now afford the finest clothes, jewelry, and luxury cars while their neighbors lived amongst a backdrop of rundown fire-scarred tenements and trash-strewn lots were looked at as neighborhood superstars.
During this era, the rappers emulated the drug dealers, not the other way around. All of this money to be made created a dangerous and volatile atmosphere where setups and betrayal came with the lifestyle.
As hip-hop music was coming into its own in the 1980s, the harsh environment that birthed the genre also gave rise to some of the most notable and infamous criminals to come out of the city since the days of Murder Incorporated.
These were the conditions that the film’s main characters, Ace, Mitch, and Rico, were raised in.
Brief Synopsis
The film’s protagonist, Ace, starts off as a regular guy working a 9 to 5 job at a dry cleaner. Though one of Ace’s good friends, Mitch is a local drug dealer, Ace is not involved in the drug trade.
Even though he takes some good-natured teasing from Mitch about being a working man and taking orders from a boss, Ace nevertheless seems content with his situation.
Things change when Ace has a chance encounter with a Dominican drug dealer named Lulu. Lulu is a customer of the dry cleaner, and one day, Ace discovers a large bag of cocaine in the pockets of one of Lulu’s pairs of pants. Ace then discreetly returns it to Lulu.
Lulu appreciates Ace’s discretion and honesty in returning the drugs, and the two have a discussion. Though Ace’s good friend Mitch is also a drug dealer, Ace notices that Lulu carries himself with a different demeanor.
Lulu is more low-key and seems to showcase his wealth in a more tasteful and less flashy way than Mitch. This seems to appeal to Ace’s more reserved personality who unlike his friends does not seek to be the center of attention.
In appreciation of Ace’s gesture, Lulu tells him to keep the cocaine and any money he can make from selling it.
While standing in a building lobby, Ace is unexpectedly approached by an addict who asks if he has anything for sale. Ace initially shakes his head but then remembers the cocaine Lulu gave him, and he ends up making the sale.
Surprised by how easy the transaction was, Ace returns to Lulu and gets more cocaine on consignment. The cocaine is much more pure than what is currently being sold by rival dealers; this causes many of the customers to start buying from Ace exclusively.
During this time, Ace’s good friend Mitch is locked in jail, fighting a murder charge. While in jail, Mitch is involved in a fight with other inmates. During the fight, Mitch is assisted by Rico, another Harlem native who is well aware of Mitch’s reputation.
Mitch ends up beating his murder charge, and soon, he and Rico are back out on the streets. Mitch is surprised and bemused to learn that Ace is now a major drug supplier.
The trio of Ace, Mitch, and Rico end up becoming major players in the Harlem drug trade, with Rico acting as a violent and unpredictable enforcer.
After Lulu is murdered, Ace goes directly to his suppliers and explains the business relationship that he and Lulu had previously had. He is then fronted kilos of cocaine from the suppliers and becomes a cocaine wholesaler himself.
However, the money and good times don’t last, and a series of betrayals by friends and family separates the friends and leads to devastating consequences.
Based on a True Story
The main characters in Paid in Full are based off real people. The movie’s protagonist Ace played by Wood Harris is based on Azie Faison who, like his movie counterpart did start selling drugs while working at a cleaners.
After being caught several times by his boss selling drugs at work, he was subsequently fired and jumped full-time into the drug game.
As in the movie, Azie’s drug supplier was a man named Lulu. However, unlike what was depicted in the film, the two actually met at a pool hall. Azie recalled that the cocaine was so pure, and the price was so good, that he went from making around $10,000 a day to $50,000 a day.
Ace’s good friend Mitch, played by Mekhi Phifer, is based on the late Rich Porter, a well-liked and charismatic Harlem drug dealer who became a partner with Azie in the cocaine business, though the two operated in separate crews.
The final character who rounds out the cast is Rico, played with just the right amount of swagger and menace by rapper and Harlem native Cam’ron. Rico is based on Albert “Alpo” Martinez. Rico is by far the most reckless and unpredictable of the group.
Though many of the scenes in the film are fictionalized or stylized, they succeed in capturing the essence of the story as well as the different personalities of the main characters. From the low-key Ace to the livewire Rico to the flashy and cocky Mitch.
Consequences of Greed
Although Paid in Full is a crime drama with plenty of action and memorable performances, the film is ultimately a cautionary tale about the perils of “easy money” and living the fast life. The cars and jewelry are temporary, while the pain and losses are forever.
This was exemplified by the tragedy that befell the Porter family. Because of his notoriety and success in the drug game, Rich Porter’s younger brother, William “Donnell” Porter, was kidnapped and held for ransom.
As the clock ticked, and the Porter family attempted to negotiate for Donnell’s release, the family would be dealt another blow.
Rich had been fronted 30 kilos of cocaine by his supplier so that he could pay the ransom and get his little brother back. Unfortunately, Alpo Martinez learned about this, and in an act of greed and betrayal, murdered Rich on the evening of January 3, 1990, and dumped his body in the Bronx.
Tragically, later that month, on January 28, 1990, a passerby discovered the body of William Porter about a mile from the area where Rich’s body had been found.
Despite the close proximity of both bodies, the murders had been perpetrated by different individuals, and it was later determined that Alpo had not been involved in Donnell’s kidnapping or murder.
Film vs Real-Life
At the end of the film, we see Mitch shot and killed by Rico, which is consistent with real-life events. However, we then see Ace figure out that Rico was the killer, and as payback, he gives Rico the phone number to his “connect,” who turns out to be Drug Enforcement agents.
We then see Rico talking to agents in an interrogation room, claiming that he will give them information on “some cats in D.C.” but won’t snitch on anyone from Harlem.
In reality, Azie never put the feds onto Alpo. As he stated in an interview, at the time, he was pretty sure that Alpo had killed Rich, but he was not one hundred percent positive and couldn’t prove it.
Instead, Alpo had relocated his drug operation to Washington, D.C., and was running with some very dangerous people down there. Alpo was eventually indicted for several murders and cooperated with the feds to avoid a possible death sentence.
Alpo served his time and was released into the Federal Witness Protection Program, where he relocated to Lewiston, Maine.
However, despite this, he would still return to Harlem semi-frequently, and late on the night of October 31, 2021, he was shot to death while driving his truck through Harlem.
Initial speculation was that he had been recognized and killed by a person or family member of someone he had crossed. However, it was later determined that Alpo’s murder had been the result of a road rage incident and was not related to his past.
Of the three main characters in the film, only Azie is currently still alive, and that is only by sheer luck, as he was one of five people shot during a robbery inside a Bronx apartment.
Three of the five people shot did not survive, including Azie’s aunt and one of his close friends.
Azie now uses his story to caution young men about the perils that come along with living a criminal lifestyle.
Sources:
Kimble, Julian. “A Perfect Storm in Harlem.” The Ringer, 29 January 2021, https://www.theringer.com/movies/2021/1/29/22255661/paid-in-full-camron-history-charles-stone-making-of
Kamble, Sonika. “Paid in Full: Is the 2002 Movie Inspired by a True Story?” The Cinemaholic, 19 March 2023, https://thecinemaholic.com/is-paid-in-full-based-on-a-true-story/
Harvey, Austin. “The Brutal Life And Death Of Alpo Martinez, The New York Drug Lord Who Murdered His Own Partner.” 12 May 2023, https://allthatsinteresting.com/alpo-martinez
Gonzales, Michael. “MONEY AIN’T A THANG: 'PAID IN FULL' AND THE CULTURE THAT ROSE OUT OF NEW YORK'S CRACK ERA.” 20 February 2020, https://crimereads.com/paid-in-full/
“Flashback: Azie Faison Tells the Real 'Paid In Full' Story (Full Interview)” Youtube, Uploaded by djvlad, 25 October 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GRhrCpTszg