A crime lord ascends to power in New York City thanks to the
crack epidemic, prompting an unstable cop's vow to take him down. CRIME/DRAMA
|
New Jack City (1991)Directed by Mario Van Peebles
Written by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper Starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Judd Nelson, Mario Van Peebles, Vanessa Williams, Michael Michele, Bill Nunn |
New Jack City is a brilliant, engaging crime thriller that uses the backdrop of late 80's, early 90's New York City at the height of the crack scene to show audiences the unseen consequences of organized crime. Nino Brown (Snipes) is just one of many across the country, and they're hardly the root of the drug problem. I didn't expect this 90's cult classic to be so poignant or well-acted, especially from performers like comedian Chris Rock and rapper Ice-T. But here we are, still watching a film that could've taken the easy road, but instead continues to be socially relevant.
Wesley Snipes absolutely kills it as vicious drug kingpin Nino Brown, the man who wants to run New York itself. He's become the most powerful man in the city thanks to his booming crack enterprise, and only Detective Scotty Appleton (Ice-T) has the balls and the brains to take him down for good. The battle of wits between these two is engaging as hell, and when you also have Chris Rock playing a very realistic, very tragic crackhead, my interest goes through the roof. Not to mention the incredible 90's rap soundtrack. This movie is everything you want from a gangster flick and then some. Films like New Jack City show off the underrated talent of Wesley Snipes, who was awesome as Blade, but he's not a one trick pony. Snipes deserves way more credit, as does the rest of the cast. This film is a badass 90's gem that still holds up. If anything, it ages like wine thanks to the ongoing drug problem that still has a hold on a significant part of the country. And who doesn't want to see Judd Nelson play a badass, unstable narcotics cop? This movie has something for everyone. |