Color; R (mature themes, language, violence, sexual situations), 103 min., PPV 60 days, DVD $24.98,VHS rental DVD: featurette, cast interviews Street: May 24, Prebook: April 26 First Run: Video premiere Cast: Ja Rule (Scary Movie 3), Ving Rhames (Dawn of the Dead), Tatyana Ali (The Brothers), Pam Grief (The Adventures of Pluto Hash) Director: James Hunter FIRST LOOK

Story Line: Urged by his successful father to enter the business world, Reggie (Ja Rule) would rather hang with his old mentor, long-time gangster and ex-con J-Bone (Rhames), who has returned to the 'hood to settle old scores. As a result, Reggie becomes implicated in the murder of his sweetheart's dad, a local preacher.

Bottom Line: In concept, Back in the Day doesn't differ much from a dozen or more urban crime dramas we could name. But it shapes up as a high-end release in this genre on the basis of above-average star power and production mounting. In some respects, Day is a throwback to the old Warner gangster films, with accommodations for contemporary market demands vis-a-vis language, sex and violence. One can easily picture Cagney or Bogart in the Rhames role, with one of the Dead End Kids taking the Ja Rule part. Director and co-writer Hunter puts a nice spin on the material by allowing for some ambiguity. The viewer can't be sure whether Reggie fired the shot that killed his girlfriend's father (played by Joe Morton), and this generates considerable suspense in the film's second half. Not as hard-core as low-end urban product, Day has more crossover potential than most titles in the genre, largely because of the cast.