videorama-759-859391
SH was one of those fine drug movies, like Deep Cover, Menace To Society, that were around, pretty much the same time. What sucks, is like Menace To Society, this one missed an S.A. cinema release. From the first frame, or credits, you can tell you're in for none other, a fine two hours film, and this is exactly what you get with good black actors you like. We have a wonderfully refreshing opening, where a black mother O.D's. She has two little boys, where she uses the older one to cook her up a fix. This makes quite an impact on him, as we cut to a later time. Now grown up, this man (Wright, the wilder, out of control one) and brother (Snipes) are in the drug business, working for the NY mafia, under their boss played beautifully by Abe Vigoda, a fine sculptured performance. Snipes has fallen in love, and now sees that the future in this business is short limited, so he best be smart and get out now, so we know what's to ensue. He tries to pull his brother out of it, but he wants no part. I really like the drawn characters, as we really understand, who they are, but more importantly, why they are, what they are, especially Wright's character, that all come full circle in that dinner family scene with KFC. Wright is an exceptionally talented black actor, who really carves out his characters, like no other of his race I've seen. He's a more pathetic type, here, and he plays it wonderfully real, while Snipes is very good, and Clarence Williams 111, what can I say? Just another fine performance. Randle as Snipes's love interest is really good, where she plays a budding actress: waitress, that joke really old now. She's the victim of a nasty rape scene, too, by another black guy, which added some venom to this engrossing film. The end is rather hard hitting, engaging, which as to Snipes's fate, a real blow. The whole anti drug film is engaging, and lovers of these film, and others, I recommend it to ya, if you haven't seen it.
NewEnglandPat
This feature is a grim, violent urban saga of a dysfunctional family that plays out amid the decay and ugliness of Harlem. This storied community, long neglected and portrayed as unredeemable, takes another hit as families disintegrate and drug wars are the order of the day. The film has an odd symmetry in that it opens and closes with scenes of drug overdoses which may explain why two impressionable youngsters who should know better get swallowed up drug distribution activities and violent crime. The movie also shows black men in a very poor light as every single character is flawed beyond measure and not one of them has a single redeeming quality. Besides the self-loathing of Harlem and its residents, the film's parallel theme serves up the familiar race war shoot-outs between black hoodlums and Mafia thugs who are determined to hold on to lucrative drug markets uptown. Wesley Snipes headlines a good cast that is sadly wasted in this picture. Michael Wright is very good as the angry, bitter Raynathan but with films like "Super Fly", "New Jack City" and several other films of this type out there, who needs another one?
sychonic
but it can't be.It's just not that good. The writing is substandard. And the one thing that stands out is the weepy jazz soundtrack that is intrusive and annoying.The basic plot, how the black drug runners in the ghetto relate to each other and to the Mob, not a bad idea. And the idea that Wesley Snipes gets sick of the whole thing and wants more from life. Not bad. In fact, Snipes is pretty good in the role. Almost everyone else is pretty awful.It's interesting how lacking in interesting this movie is. Not much seems to happen except once in a while a gun goes off.I think "New Jack City" is likely a better call, not nearly as stylish, nor as pretentious, but more solid as a story.
