Moses the Black

The first one deals with Malik (Omar Epps), a Chicago crime boss freshly released from jail and ready to inflict vengeance on Straw (Quavo, from the rap crew Migos), the rival gang leader who took out one of his chief lieutenants. Apart from being one of the most feared-but-respected kingpins in the city, Malik acts more like a bruised man living on borrowed time. He spends less time on the street and more time having heart-to-hearts with friends and family. Before she passes, his grandmother gives him a saint prayer card of the titular Ethiopian hieromonk, a former “gang member”—grandma’s words—who went on to live a life of discipline and sacrifice. It’s in these scenes that “Moses” exudes a soulfulness that’s almost admirable. Rocking a withered face, an always-shiny bald head, and a gait that sometimes has him walking like an old, antiques-shop owner, Epps plays his American gangster as a man of constant sorrow. He’s the veteran-villain archetype, fully aware he’s too late to right the wrongs he’s committed.