On F List of Movie Reviews

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Fresh (1994)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 3/15

Fre1
3/15: When I think of the best gang pictures in black cinema, Boyz n the Hood immediately comes to my mind which has been the touchstone.

Watching Fresh, I can't help but think of how good it is as compared to John Singleton's classic. I love the deep Shakespearean elements, most especially the analogy of a chess match being played out in real life. The characters around Fresh are used as pawns, and Esteban (Giancarlo Esposito giving the best performance of his career) is the king and therefore the objective of the game. Fresh's reward is his sister.

Listening to his alcoholic father (Samuel L. Jackson), Fresh makes most of the life lessons by applying them on the streets to win the game. It's just brilliant stuff. Hanging and shooting his slain friend's bulldog, Fresh crosses the Rubicon by accepting his death wish. But he, while hiding his feelings, is also supremely intelligent and has a plan of his own. Around the people, Fresh listens but says nothing and speaks only when told to. To drive the point further, it's easy to compare him to Chuckie who can't shut the hell up or keep secrets. In short, Fresh has the making of a feared drug lord, but really, his primary aim is to get himself and his sister out of the ghetto life.

Sean Nelson gives the performance of his career and should have been awarded with an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. I love the touch of vitiligo on the side of his forehead which is a realistic malady for many blacks. The child thespians are naturally talented. Lovely is the ghetto lingo which is poetry. There are rare scenes of violence which come off as either subtle or devastating.

All in all, Fresh is a brilliantly written masterpiece that breaks the mold of the usual black gang pictures.