On N List of Movie Reviews
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New Jack City (1991)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
11/03, 7/07, 11/14, 7/18, 2/21
7/07:
When I think of the black woman running across the screen in the middle of a gunfire fight, I think of New Jack City.
Obviously, the movie is style over substance. That much is evident during Scotty's chase after Pookie who rides away
in his BMX. The message is: the justice system is a failure and the courts are powerless to stop
drug lords. So, what to do? Do it the New Jack way: blend in first and shoot them at the end while looking cool.
Meanwhile, Wesley Snipes is the cynosure. Impossible to overlook, he, as Nino Brown, doesn't have to speak; all he
has to do is look cool with a Kangol hat (this is way before Samuel L. Jackson started doing it) and be draped in heavy
gold jewelry. I've never been a fan of Chris Rock, but he's good as Pookie. Ice-T's electrifying performance is
largely the reason why.
All in all, thanks to the costume design and cinematography, New Jack City is a fast-paced stylish picture with
superb music.
11/14:
New Jack City is The Godfather of black cinema.
There's an edge to it that exudes style through the captivating storytelling and hard-to-beat editing. The most powerful
scene is the drug bust which set Scotty off on foot chase, going after Pookie who rode away on
his BMX. How it's aerially shot is beautiful, bringing in a gangsta New Jack feel that'll dominate the tone of the film.
Wesley Snipes' best career performance is Nino Brown as the city's most-feared drug lord. It's hard to take eyes
off him. Right behind him, Ice-T deserves an equal share of credit for providing plenty of punch,
and he's awesome in many scenes.
All in all, Mario Van Peebles puts the letter H in the word "hip" for New Jack City, making it a compelling and
memorable film.
7/18:
New Jack City continues to be an underrated hip-hop gangster picture of the blaxploitation genre.
It should've netted some Oscar nominations: Best Actor for Wesley Snipes, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score,
Best Costume Design, and Best Editing. When I think of New Jack City, I think of the style, the lyrics, the clothes,
and Wesley Snipes as Nino Brown. There are many good performances, but it's hard to overlook Ice-T who's responsible
for setting the tone of the film, especially when he chased Chris Rock on BMX during the drug bust.
All in all, making for a fast, easy watch, New Jack City represents the blaxploitation genre very well.
2/21:
A highly stylized gangster picture, New Jack City is so fast-paced that the movie is over before I know it.
Nino Brown is the best character of Wesley Snipes' career. He's arresting and captivating to watch. His defining
scene is when Nino Brown confronted Gee Money and made an irrevocable "it's business, never personal" decision, forever
painting himself as a cold-blooded person. Using the crack epidemic that ravaged New York City during the late 80's and
early 90's, it's the perfect backdrop for a black drug lord like Nino Brown to make his presence known.
Everybody else, especially Ice-T and Chris Rock, is uniformly excellent in a hip-hop way. The soundtrack is fantastic.
I also like the clothes; they're perfect for the time, especially the high amount of gold jewelry draped among
the characters. It's almost a revival of the blaxploitation genre from the 70's. How the film got green-lit
is according to IMDb:
"Mario Van Peebles had formed a friendship with Clint Eastwood when the pair made
Heartbreak Ridge. When Van Peebles
took the New Jack City screenplay to Warner Bros., the studio was interested in the material, but weren't keen on
having an unknown as the director/lead actor. Eastwood personally vouched for Van Peebles and told Warner Brothers to
'give the kid a shot.' The success of the film launched Van Peebles's directing career."
All in all, New Jack City is an outstanding film, and the always likeable Wesley Snipes has never been badder.