Review: New Jack City

The story of enterprising, drug lord Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes), and the dedicated team of cops attempting to bring down his crack empire. These cops are led by Mario Van Peebles, and his street cops; reckless and oft-suspended Judd Nelson, and drug-hating Ice-T. It is the latter (who seems to know crack intimately) who takes a young crackhead (a young and superb Chris Rock) under his wing attempting to clean him up. This kid will later be a crucial part in the rule-bending street cops’ attempts at infiltrating Nino’s operations. Allen Payne is Nino’s long-suffering right hand man, Bill Nunn is cast against type as a stuttering thug, blaxploitation mainstay Thalmus Rasulala plays the police chief, and yes, that’s Nick Ashford of Ashford and Simpson as a corrupt politician.

Along with “Boyz N the Hood” and “Malcolm X”, this exciting, sometimes entertainingly schlocky, sometimes grimly honest 1991 Mario Van Peebles (director of the flat, black western “Posse”) film stands out as one of the better African-American themed films of the late 80s/early 90s. I found this story of urban criminal entrepreneurs feeding of the hopeless addiction of crack addicts to be far more realistic and affecting than say the racial tension in an Italian-American pizzeria in NYC of “Do the Right Thing”. In the wrong hands, and certainly in white hands, this story could have come off as offensively stereotyped and racist, but Van Peebles is man enough to say, no, this is definitely a real problem, black pushers are selling to black junkies, and I’m going to show all of this, even if it paints some African-Americans as gangsters and junkies. I mean, the cops are mostly black here too, and this notion of a black criminal entrepreneur gaining power by destroying the lives of his people, is pretty potent stuff.

Snipes is commanding and charismatic as the enterprising but dangerous villain, even better are an authentic and pugnacious Ice-T (a big acting break for the controversial, cop-hating Godfather of Gangsta rap, and reputed former gangbanger), and a frighteningly real Rock, whose subsequent poor attempts at acting make his truly unforgettable turn here seem even more amazing. He’s the one you’re gonna remember afterwards, he’s quite harrowing and affecting. Less effective are Nelson in an unnecessary role (why not just meld the Ice-T and Nelson roles into one?), and the director himself in a completely amateurish performance (something I often find myself saying about the man- look at “Highlander 3”, “Heartbreak Ridge”, and “Gunmen”).

The film has way too many endings (a scene between Snipes and Payne could’ve easily been removed), and is occasionally a little pulpy and melodramatic, but if you’re a blaxploitation fan like me, you won’t mind the latter so much as embrace it as a nod to yesteryear. Best of all, unlike some of Spike Lee’s films (think the dour “Jungle Fever”, featuring one of Snipes’ dullest performances), this one’s got some entertainment to go along with the message. It succeeds greatly where other similar-themed/marketed films haven’t because it’s trying harder to entertain you than it is to enlighten you (i.e. There’s an anti-drug message, but the basic gangster movie requirements are the main priority of the film). Hip-hop/R&B soundtrack will definitely bring back memories to anyone who listened to music in the late 80s and early 90s (including an appearance on-screen by the inimitable Flavor Flav, as well as a play of Colour Me Badd’s still-awful “I Wanna Sex U Up”- seriously, did any of the screaming girls who made that song popular ever look at those fugly guys?). Still not sure what Nick Ashford is doing here in a small role, though. Weird casting there. Scripted by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper (the latter of whom was the writer of the similar, subsequent ‘Snipes as drug lord’ flick “Sugar Hill”).

Rating: B+