Life is a 1999 English-language Comedy Crime motion picture written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone. The movie is directed by Ted Demme and produced by Brian Grazer and Eddie Murphy under the banner of Imagine Entertainment. The film's format is a story being told by an elderly inmate about two of his friends, Ray and Claude , who are both wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Life stars Eddie Murphy in the lead role along with an ensemble cast including Martin Lawrence, Obba Babatundé, Nick Cassavetes, Anthony Anderson, Barry Shabaka Henley and Brent Jennings. The music was composed by R. Kelly along with Wyclef Jean. Cinematography was done by Geoffrey Simpson and editing by Jeffrey Wolf. The motion picture has a running time of 109 minutes. It was released on 2nd September 1999. Life was made on a budget of $80 million and at the box office it grossed only $1 million. Distribution rights for the film were acquired by Universal Pictures. The film's format is a story being told by an elderly inmate about two of his friends, Ray and Claude , who are both wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.