Vin Diesel truly is a man apart in his latest release, due in theaters April 4. The character is miles away from the upbeat likable-guy image from XXX> or The Fast and the Furious. As DEA agent Sean Vetter, Diesel is returning to the more serious focused role that brought him recognition as the convict Riddick in the surprise hit Pitch Black.

A Man Apart is essentially the story of a good cop whose entire world is rent asunder when the drug lord he recently locked up orders his wife killed. The story plods along rather predictably as Vetter plots his revenge using any means necessary. Vetter drags along his best friend/partner Demetrius (Larenz Tate) to watch his back and keep him out of trouble.

However, the film is much more entertaining than the average revenge/drama flick due to the handiwork of director F. Gary Gray.

Gray was the mastermind behind Friday and The Negotiator, two films that remain rather underrated among critics. In Apart, he takes the finest elements of his earlier successes, borrowing the humor from Friday and the slow-boiling intensity of The Negotiator.

The biggest problem here is that Diesel is left with the job of carrying the entire film without another marquee name. Apart originally finished production over two years ago when its star was still only a Hollywood twinkle. New Line Cinema has finally decided to release the film now that the much more marketable Diesel will be enough to cover the studioí_s $36 million budget.

Overall this is a movie that offers nothing new, but remains a pleasure to watch. The unhurried plot is interesting as it unfolds from drama to mystery to comedy and back again. It may not prove to be the type of film youí_ll want to see again and again (few are), but a Friday night trip to the theater is certainly warranted.