'3 A.M.' DRIVES ALL OVER TOWN AND GOES NOWHERE.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

``3 A.M.'' is a well-intentioned muddle, a movie that perpetually threatens to become interesting without ever really getting there. Sitting through this movie about Big Apple cabbies who work the late shift is like sitting in a cab whose driver considers you a dupe - he takes a long time to get you nowhere special.

Produced by Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule production company (Lee has a cameo appearance as a fare, as do other New York trendsetters, such as Treach of Naughty by Nature, Pepa of Salt 'N' Pepa, performance artist Danny Hoch and basketball legend Walt Frasier), the film is predictably politically correct and flirts with provocation. For all the alleged grit, however, there's a spic-and-span sheen to the proceedings - the cars aren't grungy, the characters are vaguely clean-cut and the endings are all happy enough.

``3 A.M.'' weaves a series of stories through its 91 minutes, several - including a briefcase filled with money found in a cab - left to more or less dangle without any interesting resolution. Ostensible drama is provided by a serial killer of cabbies - who of our bunch will be next?

Is it Hershey (Danny Glover), the venerable, good-hearted driver with a semi-celebrated past and a semi-rocky relationship with a dishy waitress (Pam Grier)? Or Salgado (Michelle Rodriguez of ``The Fast and the Furious''), haunted by demons of her past? Or Rasha (Sergej Trifunovic), toughened by life in Bosnia but a lousy driver nonetheless? Or Box (Sarita Choudhury), who runs the company (mainly, into the ground) with a steely disposition? Well, it won't be Box, since she doesn't hack, but her rather uninteresting subplot is given a surprising amount of screen time, so we felt it prudent to mention her.

Well, of course, the victim is just a dispensable bit player, but our heroes have troubles aplenty without such a scourge hanging over them. Like, for example, there seems to be only one Chinese restaurant in the whole of New York City, and cockroaches are the main item on the menu. ``3 A.M.'' is filled with narrative nonsense of that order, which dissipates the drama's grasp for realism.

Mainly, it's fashioned as an actor's showcase, with even the smaller roles getting a smidgen of scenery to chew; unfortunately, first-time director Lee Davis (who also wrote the script), lets his cast get the better of him and the result is a bunch of fussy, ``actorly'' performances.

``3 A.M.''

What: Big Apple cabbies face life, death and a bunch in between in this ensemble drama.

The stars: Danny Glover, Michelle Rodriguez, Sergej Trifunovic, Pam Grier, Sarita Choudhury.

Where: Showtime.

When: 8 p.m. Sunday; also Thursday and July 16.

Our rating: Two stars

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Pam Grier and Danny Glover star in Showtime's ``3 A.M.''