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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I grew up in the era of the war on drugs and movies coming out about drug dealing in America. The one film that the black culture looked up to and almost related to was Scarface. I love me some Scarface, starring Al Pacino. The story of Tony Montana, who went from nothing and built a drug empire in Miami only to fall. I tell my friends that I want to be like Scarface but not have his ending. Scarface ruled the 80s, but in the 90s, another film came along that showed cocaine use in the black culture way before the TV show Snowfall came out. That film was New Jack City. New Jack City is an awesome film that tells the tale of Nino Brown and the two cops who try to bring him to justice in New York City.
In 1989, in the mean streets of Harlem, Nino Brown (Snipes) is about to change the entire drug dealing game. Brown is a small-time drug dealer who is the leader of the Cash Money Brothers, or CMB, as they like to be called. His gang consists of Gerald “Gee Money” Wells, Duh Duh Duh Man, Keisha, Selina Thomas, and Kareem Akbar. When one of his boys convinces him that the future of drug dealing is in crack, Nino sees the enormous potential in it and decides to establish himself as a drug kingpin. Nino gains control of the Carter apartment complex and converts it into a crack house. He kills off all his rivals and rises to the king of Harlem. Meanwhile, undercover cops Scotty Appleton (Ice-T) and Nick Paretti (Nelson) are pressured by the city to bring down Nino. Appleton has a particular hatred for Nino as he murdered his mother as part of a gang initiation. Helping the detectives is Pookie (Rock), a former crackhead who wants to bring down the new king of Harlem. Will the detectives catch and have Nino convicted, or will Nino evade the law like he always has?
New Jack City is a film that shows how the crack epidemic affected the black population in Harlem. In Scarface, we saw a man go from rags to riches. Montana was a man who wanted the world and the finer things in life. I find it funny that I am talking about Scarface because there was a scene in this film where Nino was watching the movie and stated that he would never make the same mistake as Montana. He said that he would not end in a hailstorm of gunfire as his empire crumbled around him. As Nino speaks, the scene of Montana’s dead body is shown behind him, but Nino is too busy loving all the money he has amassed from selling crack to the poor blacks and ruining his community.
I will say that after watching Snowfall, Scarface, and even the TV series American Gangster, which is phenomenal. Let me take a moment to sidetrack and tell you that if you want to learn about some MAJOR drug dealers around the United States and Harlem, then watch American Gangster. Watch the stories of Frank Lucas and Nicky “Mr. Untouchable” Barnes. Thank you for that; now, back to the review. The story seems like all the other movies about a drug dealer. We see their rise and ultimate fall, but this one is different. This one had a different feel and somewhat ending. Nino, like many black drug dealers, is out of this world genius in the drug game and even business. They know how to move product, set up a sound organization, and cover all their bases. He carefully picks his crew, aka lieutenants, and goes to great lengths to ensure his security and property are tight and sound. When the money starts rolling in, he gets all the finest things that money could buy and ensures everyone knows it. With the glitz and glam that Nino has, we are seduced by it. We stare and want everything he has. Behind it, we remember that Nino is an evil fucking man who would do anything to keep what he has. Through that charming personality is a ruthless individual.
Like many films that deal with drug dealing and empires, on the other side are the cops who are trying to bring them down. Rather than the straight-edge cops we see with a stick up their ass, we get some gritty, bending-the-rules-of-the-law street cops in Scotty and Nick. These two couldn’t be so far apart. They really don’t like each other, and they try to one-up each other in their rivalry. Scotty has an interesting background as he is a cop who has been on that cocaine trip and knows that shit is addicting. He preaches recovery now and doesn’t mess with it anymore. He does anything for the community and even shoots Pookie. On the other hand, Nick is a white boy who tries to be black. He hates drug dealers and does anything in his power to get rid of them, even if it leads to him getting constantly suspended.
The two parts come together when Nick saves a young addict named Pookie. Damn, who goes by the name Pookie anymore? Pookie is a straight-up crackhead and is strung out and probably will do anything to get more crack. Nick takes him to a rehab center and supports him in getting his life in order. Pookie decides that the best way to repay Nick is to become an undercover spy and infiltrate the Carters. The two detectives argue about it but agree it can be done. Things seem to go well until Pookie is discovered and killed. Like many drug dealing films, the main character becomes paranoid and starts killing his own crew until the end, when Nino is on trial.
The ending is one that many can relate to. It shows the horrors of drug use in the black community and how the War on Drugs was a complete and utter sham. Nino has everyone and their mom testify against him. It looks like a slam dunk conviction, yet he gets off because he can snitch on everyone. Only in America. The ending also shows the pain that the crack cocaine epidemic had on the black community. For every user and death, there is a family member who has to carry the burden of that death.
I want to give some MAJOR props to Mario Van Peebles. As his first directorial film, he did a great job with this film. He seemed to realize what was going on and showed a gritty, authentic movie that doesn’t hold back. He made sure his characters were what they would sound like on the streets rather than some uptight cop show where they make arrests.
Let’s give it up to Wesley Snipes as Nino Brown. Snipes was excellent in this role, as he was ruthless and charming. He is what many in the black community would aspire to be. He was a small-time person who one day got everything he wanted, even if it destroyed families. Snipes was the definite star of this film. I want to give some praise to Ice-T and Judd Nelson. They were believable and authentic in their approach to their roles. You felt like they saw the horror in real life and brought it to the screen.
Let’s not forget the music. The New Jack Swing era was incredible, and it was suggested to Teddy Riley to name his new genre after the movie. The soundtrack had many of the biggest names back in the day, from Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, Al B. Sure, Guy, and many more. I will say that the soundtrack will bring you back and make you want to listen to the genre all over again.
New Jack City is an excellent film about the crack epidemic that destroyed the black community. The story of a small-time drug dealer who becomes a drug kingpin might seem redundant to other films, but this one was close to the first. Snipes is excellent as Nino Brown, and if you mess with him, he will tell you to sit your $5 dollar ass down before he makes change.
