Juice (1992)

Urban Crime Movie #3

Synopsis: It’s 94 minutes of Tupac going crazy and busting caps into his straight-up G’s. 

Blurb From the DVD Jacket: “Q. Raheem. Bishop. Steel. They’re four Harlem friends who spend their days hanging out and looking for a way to get the power and respect they call Juice. Q hopes to earn respect by becoming a scratch ‘n’ mix DJ. Bishop has a deadlier plan. He wants to take it through an armed robbery. And he wants his crew to be with him.” 

What Did I Learn?:  In the words of one minor character: “Just ‘cause you pour syrup on something doesn’t make it pancakes!” 

You Might Like This Movie If:  You know that “Juice” and “murder”go together like peanut butter and jelly. 

Really?: 1) So wait... Q is in high school, and his girlfriend is both older, and has a full-time job at the local hospital? Um... yeah, I don’t believe that set-up. 2) Does anyone know why Bishop (Tupac) feels the need to ice his homies? I mean, it’s pretty clear they don’t want a cut of the loot, and there’s no chance they’re going to rat on him to the cops. 

Rating: I wanted to like Juice more than I did; Tupac Shakur demonstrates he had some real acting talent, and the movie features some great early-1990s rap from Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. & Rakim, Salt N’ Pepa, and other artists. The biggest problem I had with Juice is that the story feels fabricated, and I didn’t believe its basic premise: these guys have known each other from grade school, and yet Bishop somehow feels the need to kill all of them after a violent robbery. It also loses a lot of dramatic tension after Raheem gets bumped off, and he’s the first to go. [Shit – was that a spoiler? Ok, no more details!] 6/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104573/?ref_=sr_3

New Jack City (1991)

Urban Crime Movie #2

Synopsis: It’s like The Wire...except without the complex, multi-layered storylines, intense character-development, and deep understanding of police work and the gang culture. Ok, maybe it’s not really like The Wire... 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “New Jack City is a gangster movie for the ‘90s, a hard-hitting tale with a ‘gritty antidrug message’ (Roger Ebert, Siskel & Ebert). Ice T (his film debut), Judd Nelson and Mario Van Peebles (who also directs) portray policemen who lay it all on the line. Wesley Snipes is the angel-of-death kingpin with a city in his grasp.” 

What Did I Learn?: Screaming “The World is Mine!” over and over again is a pretty good way to royally piss off your employees. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You want to see the scene that gave rise to this spoof.

 

Really?: 1) Um... what exactly is a “New Jack cop”, or a “New Jack gangster”? New Jack was a late 1980s-early 1990s development in rap music. 2) So wait... the Cash Money Brothas are a criminal conspiracy; why in the fuck would anyone involved in it create specially-branded ball caps and jackets? 3) Holy shit, take a drink every time somebody adds the word “man” to a sentence. 4) Ok, let me get this straight...  Stone (Peebles) informs Scotty (Ice T) and Peretti (Nelson) they’re off the Nino Brown case. They stay on the case, which in the real world would get them fired, but never mind. Where do they get the flash money and drugs to convince Nino they’re the real deal? 5) You know... I’m not a mafia don or anything, but I’m pretty sure that if I ordered a hit on a powerful drug dealer, and it failed, I wouldn’t hang out with my entire crew on a patio, sipping coffee the very next day. Come on – would Tony Soprano be that dumb? 

Rating: New Jack City is an enjoyable, but not-great time capsule from the very early 1990s. The film features some top-notch period rap music, as well as solid performances from Snipes and Ice T, and an absolutely outstanding one by Chris Rock(!) as an eager-to-please crackhead. New Jack City starts out with an explosive chase sequence, and then starts to drag as it focuses on Nino Brown conducting day-to-day business, and it also becomes increasingly difficult to suspend one’s sense of disbelief at times. 7/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102526/?ref_=sr_1

Boyz 'N the Hood (1991)

Urban Crime Movie #1 (I've reviewed plenty of cop-and-gangster movies, but these deal primarily with street-level gangs and drugs. Please click the links to read my reviews of Colors, Blood In Blood Out, and Tuff Turf). 

Synopsis: It’s like Friday without the laughs. 

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “BOYZ ‘N THE HOOD is the critically acclaimed story of three friends growing up in a South Central Los Angeles neighbourhood, and of street life where friendship, pain, danger and love combine to form reality.” 

What Did I Learn?: If a gangbanger accidentally bumps into you and doesn’t seem terribly apologetic about afterwards, let it go.... seriously, just let it go.  

You Might Like This Movie If: You want to see a good film with the word “Boyz” in the title.
 

Really?: So wait – Furious Styles (Larry Fishburne) has a lady-friend, and we never get to meet her, or discover how she gets along with either Tre or his mother? That seems like an odd omission, considering the entire movie revolves around Tre growing up with his Dad.  

Rating: Boyz ‘N the Hood is a powerful, thought-provoking film about life in the inner city. While the movie occasionally editorializes (the scene of Furious explaining the evils of gentrification to a small crowd of local residents probably should have been trimmed), it mostly works because the characters are real, and all-too-human; Tre is a good kid in a bad situation, and even Doughboy (Ice Cube) has some admirable qualities, once we get to know him. Highly recommended. 9/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101507/?ref_=sr_1

The Getaway (1994)

Synopsis: It’s The Getaway... with some soft-core porn thrown in for good measure.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “In this special Unrated version, Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin set the screen ablaze! Featuring erotic footage never before seen in American theatres, this hot, steamy action-thriller delivers rapid-fire excitement and heart-pounding suspense.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) Kim Basinger (or her body double) looks fantastic when topless. 2) Switching locker keys with an unsuspecting mark at the train station is... hey, wait a minute – they reused the same line?!?

You Might Like This Movie If: you know that it isn't the worst film to ever sport the title of "Getaway".

 

Really?: 1)  I can see Rudy murdering Frank in order to steal his share of the loot, but shooting Frank while operating a moving... hey wait a minute, they kept that scene from the original?! 2) In this version, Doc is sprung from a Mexican jail, and then commits crimes in the US. Would he really want to escape to Mexico? 

Rating: As I watched The Getaway, I kept asking myself: why did they make this movie? It’s nearly a scene-for-scene re-enactment of the superior 1972 original. Basinger and Baldwin are both quite good, and it’s not a bad film if you’ve never seen the McQueen-McGraw version, but I have to give Director Roger Donaldson a big, fat “F” for unoriginality. And considering the VHS jacket features a small image of James Woods, couldn’t somebody have figured out a way to include him for more than the first 20-30 minutes or so? 6/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109890/?ref_=sr_2

The Getaway (1972)

Not Quite a Sam Peckinpah Western... 

Synopsis: Career criminal and pistol-packing spouse rob both a bank and a sporting goods store, shoot up a shitload of police cars, and blow away an assortment of thugs... and they’re the only decent people in this movie!  

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Some men will do anything to get out of prison. And some, like master thief ‘Doc’ McCoy, have their wives do it.” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) Switching locker keys with an unsuspecting mark at the train station is the oldest trick in the book. 2) In 1972, cars, firearms and burglary tools were extremely easy to purchase. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You’ve gotta getaway. 

Really?: 1) I didn’t know it was possible for human beings to survive an entire night in a filled-up (albeit non-compacting) garbage truck. 2) Wow... Fran’s a real slut. I have to wonder what she figured was going to happen to her marriage to Harold, assuming Rudy let them go after taking them as hostages. 3) So wait... Doc gets mad at Carol for sleeping with Beynon, even though he’s the one who sent her to him, and she managed to get him out of the slammer? What did he think was going to happen? 4) Hold on... I can see Rudy murdering Frank in order to steal his share of the loot, but shooting Frank while operating a moving vehicle? That seems incredibly dangerous. 

Rating: The Getaway is pure escapist fun, featuring fine performances from McQueen and McGraw, direction by Peckinpah, a compelling screenplay by Walter Hill (based on Jim Thompson’s novel), and a great musical score from Quincy Jones. My only complaints would be the scenes of Doc (McQueen) roughing up his lady, and of “poor little Harold” being tied up and forced to watch his wife have sex with their captor – they’re difficult to watch. Still, The Getaway is highly recommended, and Star Wars fans may get a kick out of a couple of scenes (McQueen and McGraw in a garbage truck, or McQueen saying: “punch it, baby” when they’re driving) that were obvious influences on a young George Lucas. 9/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068638/?ref_=sr_1