New Jack City (Special Edition) (DVD)

...directing on the big screen. New Jack City was released in 1991 with an impressive cast and a dark and moody gang and drugs related theme, which became a familiar concept with Van Peebles' directing. The film has achieved cult status in the States, where it is referenced a number of times in TV shows, mainly using the main character in the film, Nino, played by Wesley Snipes. I personally didn't like the film a whole lot when I first watched, but ...
...the Barnes character, running his new drugs operation under cover of a number of businesses. He calls his gang the Cashg Money Brothers (CMB) and is seemingly untouchable. Along come a group of maverick undercover cops who are aiming to bring him down. The group consists of rebel Stone (Van Peebles), the fast talking Scotty Appleton (Ice T), and the white man thinks he's black Nick Peretti (Judd Nelson). They coerce a recovering drug addict Pookie ... more

Mario Van Peebles had a small handful of episodes for a number of TV shows under his belt as a director before this, his first attempt at directing on the big screen. New Jack City was released in 1991 with an impressive cast and a dark and moody gang and drugs related theme, which became a familiar concept with Van Peebles' directing. The film has achieved cult status in the States, where it is referenced a number of times in TV shows, mainly using the main character in the film, Nino, played by Wesley Snipes. I personally didn't like the film a whole lot when I first watched, but after having watched it a few times since, it has grown on me and I can now appreciate it's a good movie.

The plot is loosely based on druglord Nicky Barnes, prevalent in Harlem in the 1970s, with Nino as the Barnes character, running his new drugs operation under cover of a number of businesses. He calls his gang the Cashg Money Brothers (CMB) and is seemingly untouchable. Along come a group of maverick undercover cops who are aiming to bring him down. The group consists of rebel Stone (Van Peebles), the fast talking Scotty Appleton (Ice T), and the white man thinks he's black Nick Peretti (Judd Nelson). They coerce a recovering drug addict Pookie (Chris Rock) to infiltrate Nino's gang by getting a job and turn him as an inside man to gain the vital proof of the drugs running. Tensions escalate as the stake get higher, with Nino suspecting something all the time and constantly watching his back. His assocates are also cautious, and it's only a matter of time before they either bust him or they get busted themselves.

The cast do surprisingly well, here. I had the impression that Van Peebles wanted to take the limelight a little in his first big screen director's role, but he is overshadowed by some solid acting from all around, particularly a young Chris Rock as Pookie. The hyperactivity and paranoia of a recovering drug addict forced to turn informer is played with great anxiety, and this is backed up well by all. Snipes is convincing as Nino Brown, although his smooth attitue is lost a little among those who don't understand a lot about street cred in Harlem in the latter part of the 20th Century (yes, that includes me!).

Van Peebles does okay as Stone, and there are good performances from the majority of the cast. Judd Nelson came into the film off the back of a number of 1980s brat pack movies, and seems out of place if you associate him in this role. However, his appearance is altered enough and the attitude of the character wild enough to be different from roles in films such as The Breakfast Club and St Elmo's Fire.

What struck me most about this film was the darkness of it. There was a very moody feel to it all the way through, and the majority of it takes place either at night or indoors, where there are no windows so the drugs running can take place without anyone looking in.

The film impressed me, but only after watching it a couple of times. Like I mentioned, it has more of a cult status than superstar status, although it was the highest grossing independent film of 1991. I appreciated the casual relationship the characters all had with each other, with street speak featuring heavily. A lot of it is probably lost on 'the white man' in general, but I felt that it wasn't quite as stereotypical as I had first imagined. There is a bit of anxiety about the characters, and street cred is forgotten about from time to time as we get down to some nitty gritty criminal activity.

Overall, I give this film 4 stars out of 5. Bits of it are still lost on me, and I can't look at Judd Nelson without thinking about his other roles, and it did take me a couple of goes to get into, but it is a very well made film that still keeps my attention if I watch it over and over. The DVD is available from amazon.co.uk for £5.97 brand new, or from £4.58 for a used copy. 

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