Once in the Life_
Two estranged half-brothers, Billy and Torch, reconnect during a brief jail stay. 20/20 Mike concocts a scheme in which the two of them will steal dope from some young couriers. The heist goes wrong when Billy shoots the couriers dead. They hole up in an abandoned building, and 20/20 Mike seeks help from an old cell mate, Tony.
Starring
Laurence Fishburne, Titus Welliver, Eamonn Walker
Updated Feb 16, 2026
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Year context
Once in the Life was released 26 years ago in 2000.
Overview
Two estranged half-brothers, Billy and Torch, reconnect during a brief jail stay. 20/20 Mike concocts a scheme in which the two of them will steal dope from ...
Once in the Life is a Action, Crime, Drama film with a runtime of 1h 47m.
CAST (20)
Laurence Fishburne
20 / 20 Mike
Titus Welliver
Torch
Eamonn Walker
Tony
Annabella Sciorra
Maxine
Gregory Hines
Ruffhouse
Michael Paul Chan
Buddha
DC
Dominic Chianese Jr.
Freddie Nine Lives
Justin Pierre Edmund
Little Mikey
Paul Calderon
Manny Rivera
Nick Chinlund
Mike Murphy
Wanda De Jesus
Jackie
Jim Breuer
Pizzaman
Tiger Chen Hu
Chino
SC
Sue Costello
Kneeley
Madison Riley
Precious
EV
Eric van Alstyne
Plainsclothes Cop (uncredited)
AT
Andres Titus
Hector
Harsh Nayyar
Cab Driver
TW
Timothy W. White
Little Billy
Huey Morgan
Carlos
DETAILS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Once in the Life about?
Two estranged half-brothers, Billy and Torch, reconnect during a brief jail stay. 20/20 Mike concocts a scheme in which the two of them will steal dope from some young couriers. The heist goes wrong when Billy shoots the couriers dead. They hole up in an abandoned building, and 20/20 Mike seeks help from an old cell mate, Tony.
How long is Once in the Life?
Once in the Life has a runtime of 107 minutes (1h 47m).
Who stars in Once in the Life?
The cast of Once in the Life includes Laurence Fishburne, Titus Welliver, Eamonn Walker, Annabella Sciorra, Gregory Hines.
What is the rating of Once in the Life?
Once in the Life has a rating of 4.5 out of 10 based on 14 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (3)
Action
Crime
Drama