New Jack City (1991)

This movie is unlike any other gangster movie that I have ever seen and is arguably one of the best of all time, and it's very hard to believe that this is a directorial debut and it is also one of the best debuts I've ever seen. The movie chronicles the career of a gangster named Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) who is a very ruthless gangster who will do anything necessary to make money even if it's illegal with the help of his trusted cohorts Gee Money (Allen Payne) and Kareem Akbar (Christopher Williams). Brown is also under investigation by detectives Scottie Appleton (Ice-T) and Detective Stone (Mario Van Peebles, who also directed this movie) who also have an informant named Pookie (Chris Rock). It is funny to me but prior to watching this movie I never thought of ever seeing Wesley Snipes as a gangster, and Chris Rock in a dramatic role altogether but in their cases their performances exceeded my own expectations, but Ice-T i'm used to playing as a cop because of his work on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". Everything in this movie is nearly flawless, but there was one minor problem that I had which was that the songs about "New Jack City" go on and on and can get pretty annoying after a while of hearing them but everything else including the Wesley Snipes performance, and the visionary direction of Mario Van Peebles struck the right chords in telling a story set in the suburbs of New York City, telling a pure and realistic message about what drugs can do to people on the streets and how harmful they can be, which is a reason why more people should watch this movie to learn about the harmful effects of drug addiction. This is one of the 10 best and most memorable movies of 1991.

New Jack City is an excellent and stylish Gangster film/Crime Drama classic that combines great direction,a wonderful cast,intense Action and a fantastic score and soundtrack. All of those elements make New Jack City an great movie and a an unforgettable Gangster saga.Set in New York City during the late 1980s and early 90s,New Jack City tells the story of Nino Brown(Wesley Snipes),a charismatic Gangster who is the leader of the organization CMB(Cash Money Brothers)and begins making and selling crack on the streets becoming more successful. While Nino is running his empire,a group of cops led by NYPD cop Scotty Appleton(Ice-T)who are watching Nino's every move and want to bring Nino down at all costs.New Jack City is a terrific Gangster/Crime Drama that was the directorial debut of actor Mario Van Peebles and truly came out at the right place at the right time in 1991 because the film was released at the height of the Crack epidemic which was destroying America and putting money in Drug dealers pockets and while New Jack City doesn't give viewers a deep message or social commentary or do anything new in terms of the Gangster movie genre,the film gives viewers solid entertainment and style that keeps you glued to the screen throughout. New Jack City is a Gangster movie that combines elements of the Gangster movies of the 1930s with a mixture of Brian De Palma's Scarface(1983) and 1987s The Untouchables with a story about the rise and fall of a Gangster and mixing with a Cop Drama showing viewers both sides of the law as the movie and both sides of the law deal with the Drug game with violence and death. New Jack City is also a movie that is stylish and bigger than life where everything in the crime and drug world including money,clothes and the way Nino Brown and his associates live are so colorful with the colors blue and red to the point where you as the viewer want to live that lifestyle but NJC also reminds us of the consequences of living the life of a Gangster and that in the criminal world there are no happy endings or hopeful optimism. As colorful and light as the film looks NJC is very gritty showing the terrible effects that Crack had on people in the 1980s and 90s and the Horrors of drug addiction and where addiction can lead to prison,death or rehab. When you look at New Jack City you are absorbed into a world of brightness and darkness that is surrounded by blood and money. The character Nino Brown is a classic gangster film character that becomes iconic and memorable from the moment you watch the movie because like a lot of Gangster in films we don't always like Nino or some of the things that he does(in fact some of the things Nino does in NJC are downright horrendous and unforgivable)but we are captivated by Nino Brown because of his coolness and charisma and in Gangster films we always run with the bad guy no matter what. Like in any Gangster film every criminal has a rise and fall and with Nino he fell just as fast as he rose because while Nino had the money and the power Nino couldn't have love or trust in his life and everything inside Nino's organization starts to fall all around him. We could feel bad for Nino but with all of things he does in the film you are rooting for his demise. Nino Brown is a classic character that you never forget after watching the film and is one of the things that makes New Jack City the classic that it is. Although the film isn't an Action movie NJC is filled with a few intense and really well done Action scenes that are simple but effective. The ending is New Jack City is amazing,shocking and surprising but at the same time goes with the Gangster genre. A terrific ending.The whole cast is terrific. Wesley Snipes is excellent,iconic and his best as Nino Brown,with Snipes bringing coolness and charisma to the role. Ice-T(in his acting debut)is wonderful as N.Y.P.D cop Scotty Appleton,with Ice-T being tough and intense. Allen Payne is terrific as G-Money,Nino's best friend and right hand man. Chris Rock is outstanding,dramatic and funny as Pookie,a crack head that's Scott's friend. Judd Nelson is fantastic as Nick Perretti,Scotty's partner. Mario Van Peebles is great as N.Y.P.D cop Stone,a fellow cop that recruits Scott and Nick. Michael Michele(Selina),Bill Nunn(Duh Duh Duh Man),Vanessa Williams(Keisha),Tracy Camilla Johns(Uniqua),Russell Wong(Parks),Bill Cobbs(Old Man),Christopher Williams(Kareem Akbar),Anthony DeSando(Frankie Needles),John Aprea(Don Armeto),Phyllis Yvonne Stickney(Prosecuting Attorney Hawkins),Thalmus Rasulala(Police Commissioner)and Nick Ashford(Reverend Oates)give good performances as well.The direction by Mario Van Peebles is amazing and stylish,with Pebbles constantly moving the camera with a great visual style that's colorful and dark keeping the film moving at a tight pace. Wonderful direction,Van Peebles.The score by Michel Colombier is outstanding,dark and intense and fits with the tone of the movie. Good score,Colombier. The film also has a great soundtrack with songs by Ice-T(New Jack Hustler),Guy(New Jack City),Troop,Levert and Queen Latifah(For The Love Of Money,Living For The City),Color Me Badd(I Wanna Sex You Up),2 Live Crew(In The Dust),Keith Sweat(There You Go)Telling Me No Again,Johnny Gill(I'm Still Waiting). Amazing soundtrack.In final word if you love Gangster Films or Crime Dramas I highly suggest you see New Jack City,an excellent and stylish Gangster Film/Crime Drama classic that you can watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

There are few action films and crime thrillers as socially relevant and powerful as 1991's "New Jack City," a gritty and violent portrait of America's so-called "war on drugs" during the United States' "crack epidemic" (the mid-to-late '80s and early '90s). Stylishly directed by veteran film actor Mario Van Peebles (in his directorial debut), the film also makes an explicit indictment of the Reagan-era policies of the time that led to the decimation of many of America's already-crime-ridden, low-income inner-city neighborhoods, and for violent drug kingpins to set up shop and exploit the heavily impoverished, desperate masses (many of whom lived in largely-minority communities and seemed neglected by the larger part of society as a whole).The film also explicitly condemns crack cocaine and it doesn't shy away from the devastating effects it has not just on the people who are many times hopelessly addicted to it, but for the communities, as well. Using the ultra-bloody gangster classic "Scarface" (1983) as a foundation for its story and as a cinematic backdrop, "New Jack City" details the rise of a ruthless, megalomaniacal drug lord named Nino Brown (a truly effective Wesley Snipes), and his crime syndicate the Cash Money Brothers (CMB) as they quickly and assuredly take over New York City's drug trade and begin flooding the streets with crack. Snipes's portrayal of Nino Brown makes him one of the most insidiously vile movie characters in the history of the medium - a brilliant embodiment of pure evil, viciousness, and megalomania.Aligned against him, are New York City's finest. Maverick police commander Stone (Van Peebles himself), a determined New York City narcotics cop, has a plan. He realizes that the CMB is too large and sophisticated an operation to take down using traditional methods - they need something else, newer, better, more radical measures of law enforcement. He explains to his superiors, "You want me to take down a new-jack drug kingpin, I'm going to need some new-jack cops!" He finds his new-breed of cops in a pair of outcast narcotics detectives - Scotty Appleton (rapper Ice T, in his first major film role) and Nick Peretti (Judd Nelson), who both have strong personal motivations for wanting to go to battle against Nino Brown and the CMB. And so the war is on..."New Jack City" was an important film for its time, for its highlighting of the plight of inner-city communities decimated by crack cocaine during the crack epidemic, and the almost-futile attempts by the police to rid the streets of its influence. "New Jack City" in a way was very much like a 101-minute CNN expose, since it succeeded in bringing greater attention to a topic often neglected (or poorly reported or simply glossed over by) mainstream news media before and after the time of the film's release. Like Chuck D (lead rapper for rap group Public Enemy) said a while back about rap music, "Hip-hop is the black CNN," "New Jack City" in many ways fulfills the same purpose.The acting performances are flawless from all involved. I already mentioned the powerful Wesley Snipes as the main antagonist Nino Brown. But Ice T turns in what is probably his most famous acting performance - before the TV series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," at least - as the fiercely committed Scotty Appleton (I also single out his acting because he's also one of my favorite rappers of all time). Judd Nelson's Nick Peretti works as a perfect foil to Scotty, as the other unconventional cop chosen to fight the CMB and who also has a tragic story of his own for wanting to bring down Nino Brown and ridding the streets of crack. Allen Payne delivers a careful performance as Nino Brown's childhood friend and second-in-command Gee Money. And comedian Chris Rock eschews comedy in favor of a more serious dramatic performance as a crack addict-turned-police informant named Pookie.I'm 27 right now, going on 28 in September. I should also state that I'm a black male, and I live in suburbia - far, far away from the dangerous inner city where this film's story takes place. When I was younger, I was often forbidden by my loving, over-protective parents from ever watching "New Jack City"; such shielding of me from such a grim reality is understandable, but unfortunately I also find it highly regrettable. Now that I'm older, I see that this is one of the most powerful, and essential, police-action movies ever made - because it highlights the oft-overlooked devastation that crack cocaine had during that time in low-income, largely minority communities - in other words, people like me but who were way less fortunate than me, and that saddens me deeply. So there's an emotional investment in here for me, too.See "New Jack City" and be prepared to be blown away.8/10

When New Jack City was released I was fascinated by the characters and mesmerised by its power – I was also 17.Now almost 20 years on I see some of the flaws and broad strokes used that detract a little from the effectiveness of the film, but it is still a pretty solid genre piece with a standout performance from Wesley Snipes in what turned out to be a career defining role.A great opening sequence introduces us to Nino Brown on the job. It is 1986 and while Nino is already large he is not yet LAAAAAARRRRRGE! As he will be a little later on… Nino is the personification of hip-hop cool, he wears clothes that might be described as "fly", rocks several ostentatious gold chains and items of jewelry and almost always wears the obligatory early 90s Kangol hat. He also has a slick tongue and an ear for a quotable line.Nino's is practically posse-less at this early stage but his right hand man Gee Money (Allen Payne) is already in place. On this day Gee Money brings something new to the conversation, a new drug named Crack that is apparently already creating a buzz in urban areas.Nino devises a plan that sees the newly formed gang the CMB (Cash Money Brothers) take over an entire apartment building called the Carter in a low income area, using force where necessary. Once under their control they convert the whole building into a home base to run a high tech, organised drug selling premises, complete with employee uniforms and membership cards! The Carter rapidly becomes the hub of operations and a well known no-go zone in the local area… unless you're looking to score.Fast forward three years to 1989 and crack rules, this time Nino is indeed LAAAAAARRRRRGE, and the CMB are runnin' thangs in a big way, but he has even greater aspirations.Nino's escalation of operations sees himself get noticed by the Mafia who aren't too ecstatic with their decreasing market share, and the cops, who decide to take action… after only three years! A taskforce is built to take down the CMB – not much of a task force but a task force nonetheless. It is comprised of 4 guys and only three merit description aside from "the Asian guy who hardly talks". These three are leader Detective Stone (Mario Van Peebles), maverick black cop Scotty Appleton (Ice T) and maverick white cop Nick Peretti (Judd Nelson).These three spend most of each day debating race and drugs, without ever seeming to think "Gee maybe if we take down the apartment building drug complex that might do some good".As the cops escalate things by getting a reformed crack addict named Pookie (Chris Rock) to infiltrate the Carter and report back, tensions increase between power hungry Nino and former best bud Gee Money. It doesn't help things when a gold digging hoochie named Uniqua (I wish I made that up!) gets involved and strings both of them along by their zippers.I'll leave the action there aside from mentioning that when an initial police operation fails things move quickly from there until the end, leading to some pretty ludicrous events.New Jack City is quotable at times, but just as cringe worthy at others with some of the attempts at catchy lines falling very flat. The dialogue between cops is often most lamentable of all, which seems strange as Mevin Van Peebles plays lead detective Stone, and he directed the thing! In 1991 I had no idea just how broadly stereotyped the characters were, all Nino seems to do is play basketball and watch Scarface, and the less said about the Italian Mafia the better.New Jack City hasn't dated like the flat top haircuts and formation dancing that both appear in the film, but certain scenes pop and Wesley Snipes puts in an over the top performance as the insanely confident and driven Nino Brown that serves as the centrepiece of the film.Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. For a couple years I thought New Jack City was the best film ever… It isn't. But while it hasn't aged well it is still a solid pic with some memorable scenes and a great bad guy.