When fast talking, petty thief and hustler Alvin Sanders gets arrested for stealing prawns, the worst of his problems would seem to be going to jail.

Bristol, who is the mastermind of the heist, is shown to be a dangerous man, with a knack for computers, a long memory, and who will go to any lengths to find where Jaster hid the gold, including killing others.

All the feds have are an incomprehensible message that Jaster gave to Alvin to deliver to his wife, who is dead unbeknownst to him, having been killed by Bristol ("Tell her she should go to the Bronx Zoo.

"), so they decide to release him and use him as bait to catch Bristol by secretly implanting a combination tracking device and electronic bug into Alvin's jaw.

Unfortunately, Alvin has a talent for getting into trouble, especially with his criminal younger brother Stevie —which means that the feds have to become his guardian angels so that he can serve his purpose.

While discussing with Lisa concerning their son Gregory at her bookstore, Alvin meets a customer asking for the book, "The Bronx Zoo", which leads him to understand Jaster's message; the gold is buried under "home" plate at Yankee Stadium.

In May 1999, it was announced Jamie Foxx would star in the action-comedy Bait under the direction of Stephen Surjik who was eventually replaced by Antoine Fuqua.

The website's consensus reads, "Even though Jamie Foxx shines in Bait, the movie suffers from music video roots and a formulaic script that strains credibility.

[4] Roger Ebert gave it 3 out of 4 stars and wrote that "it's over the top, an exercise in action comedy that cuts loose from logic and enjoys itself.