| 16th | Top film noir: 1990s |
| New Jack City | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Mario Van Peebles |
| Produced by | Doug McHenry George Jackson |
| Starring | Wesley Snipes Ice-T Judd Nelson Allen Payne Chris Rock Bill Nunn Mario Van Peebles |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | March 8, 1991 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Gross revenue | $47,624,353 (domestic) [1] |
New Jack City is a 1991 crime-thriller/neo-noir film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson and Chris Rock. Snipes stars as Nino Brown, a rising drug dealer and crime lord in New York City during the crack epidemic. Ice-T plays a detective who vows to stop Nino's criminal activity by going undercover to work for Nino's gang.
New Jack City was the first theatrically released film for director and co-star Mario Van Peebles. It was filmed from April 16 to June 6, 1990. The film was based upon an original story and screenplay written by Thomas Lee Wright [2] who had previously penned a draft of The Godfather, Part Three [3] and would go on to write, direct and produce a seminal documentary of American gang-life, Eight-Tray Gangster: The Making of a Crip. [4]
The screenplay was co-written by journalist-turned-screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper, who also scripted 1994's Above The Rim, and Sugar Hill, which also starred Snipes. Cooper is the first African-American screenwriter in history to not only have two films produced in one year--"Sugar Hill" was released on 25 February 1994 by Beacon-20th Century Fox Pictures, and "Above The Rim" was released on 23 March 1994, by New Line Cinema--but a month apart from each other. Barry Michael Cooper's rewrite was based on a cover story written by Cooper in The Village Voice titled "Kids Killing Kids: New Jack City Eats Its Young", dated December 1, 1987. The story revolved around the 20th anniversary of the 1967 riots in Detroit, and in its wake, the rise of crack cocaine gangs in the mid-to-late 1980s, like Young Boys Inc., and the Chambers Brothers. Some of the most memorable lines in the film were ad-libbed by the actors - especially Ice-T and Wesley Snipes - encouraged by director Van Peebles to improvise in a free-flowing naturalistic style.
Contents |
Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his gang, the Cash Money Brothers (CMB), become the dominant drug ring within New York City when crack cocaine is introduced to the city streets during the 1980s and mid 1990s. They convert an entire apartment complex ("The Carter") into a crack house. Undercover cops Scotty Appleton and Nick Peretti (played by Ice-T and Judd Nelson) try to convict the gang with evidence of the drug trafficking. They recruit Pookie (played by Chris Rock), a former stick-up kid and recovering drug addict, to work undercover at "The Carter" to help them gather incriminating evidence against Nino and the Cash Money Brothers. Unfortunately, Pookie relapses, failing the mission. He is found dead, wired to a bomb which Peretti manages to defuse. When they realize their cover has been blown, the CMB have abandoned The Carter. After Pookie's funeral, Appleton takes matters into his own hands by going undercover as a drug dealer who wants to get in with the CMB. Appleton gains the trust of Nino by revealing information about Nino's little brother and assistant of operations, Gee Money (Allen Payne), and his desire to build a drug empire of his own. When Appleton's cover gets blown, Nino cannot trust anyone now and kills his little brother. Nino Brown's megalomania separates Nino from his gang and is the catalyst for their downfall. After the gang's collapse, Nino holes up in an apartment and continues his crime empire solo.
Eventually, Nino is caught by the undercover cops. Appleton beats Nino viciously before drawing his gun. Appleton reveals that Nino was the young gangster that killed his mother, a teacher, as an initiation into his first gang. Peretti convinces Appleton to let Nino live and lets the other cops take him away, and a trial begins.
After turning state's evidence while on the stand, Nino Brown pleads guilty to a lesser charge (though still a felony given the judge's note that the punishment would include at least 12 months prison time). He points the finger at Kareem Akbar (portrayed by Christopher Williams), another member of his organization, whom he falsely claims was the actual leader of CMB and that he had threatened to kill Nino's mother. As Nino walks triumphantly out of the courthouse, he is murdered by an older man (Bill Cobbs) who had earlier tried to convince the police about Nino's destruction of his community but finally took the law into his own hands.
|
|
New Jack City was an independent film released primarily in urban metropolitan areas. It received a favorable reception by film critics for its cast, storyline and soundtrack. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars of four, writing:
Truffaut once said it was impossible to make an anti-war movie, because the war sequences would inevitably be exciting and get the audience involved on one side or the other. It is almost as difficult to make an anti-drug movie, since the lifestyle and money of the drug dealers looks like fun, at least until they're killed. This movie pulls off that tricky achievement. Nino, who looks at the dead body of Scarface and laughs, does not get the last laugh.[5]
Time Out London described the film as "a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation."[6]
New Jack City was produced with an estimated $8,000,000 budget. The film initially premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 1991, before being released nationally on March 8, 1991; it grossed $7,039,622 during its opening weekend. It became the highest grossing independent film of 1992, grossing a total of $47,624,253 domestically.
The New Jack City DVD was originally released in Region 1 on August 25, 1998 and in Region 2 on July 28, 1999; it was distributed by Warner Home Video. The DVD was re-released as a Two-Disc Special Edition on August 23, 2005.
There are rumors that a straight-to-video sequel is in the works, but original cast members Chris Rock, Ice-T, Wesley Snipes, or director Mario Van Peebles will not reprise their roles.[7] Michael C. Martin, writer of Brooklyn's Finest, was reported at work on the straight-to-DVD sequel, for producer Mary Viola.[8]
|
|||||||||||
| New Jack City | |
|---|---|
|
File:New jack Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mario Van Peebles |
| Produced by |
Doug McHenry George Jackson |
| Screenplay by |
Thomas Lee Wright |
| Starring |
Wesley Snipes Ice-T Judd Nelson Allen Payne Chris Rock Bill Nunn Mario Van Peebles |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | March 8, 1991 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Gross revenue | $47,624,353 (domestic)[1] |
New Jack City is a 1991 crime-thriller/neo-noir film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson and Chris Rock. Snipes stars as Nino Brown, a rising drug dealer and crime lord in New York City during the crack epidemic. Ice-T plays a detective who vows to stop Nino's criminal activity by going undercover to work for Nino's gang.
New Jack City was the first theatrically released film for director and co-star Mario Van Peebles. The film was based upon an original story and screenplay written by Thomas Lee Wright[2] who had previously penned a draft of The Godfather Part III[3] and would go on to write, direct and produce a seminal documentary of American gang life, Eight-Tray Gangster: The Making of a Crip.[4]
The screenplay was co-written by journalist-turned-screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper, who also scripted 1994's Above The Rim, and Sugar Hill, which also starred Snipes. Cooper is the first African-American screenwriter in history to have two films produced in one year: Sugar Hill was released on February 25, 1994 by Beacon-20th Century Fox Pictures, and Above The Rim was released on March 23, 1994 by New Line Cinema. Barry Michael Cooper's rewrite was based on a December 1987 The Village Voice cover story written by Cooper titled "Kids Killing Kids: New Jack City Eats Its Young".[5] The story revolved around the 20th anniversary of the 1967 riots in Detroit, and in its wake, the rise of crack cocaine gangs in the mid-to-late 1980s, like Young Boys Inc., and the Chambers Brothers.
Contents |
Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his gang, the Cash Money Brothers (CMB), become the dominant drug ring within New York City when crack cocaine is introduced to the city streets during the mid and late 1980s . They convert an entire apartment complex ("The Carter") into a crack house. Undercover cops Scotty Appleton and Nick Peretti (played by Ice-T and Judd Nelson) try to convict the gang with evidence of the drug trafficking. They recruit Pookie (played by Chris Rock), a former stick-up kid and recovering drug addict, to work undercover at "The Carter" to help them gather incriminating evidence against Nino and the Cash Money Brothers. Unfortunately, Pookie relapses, failing the mission. He is found dead, wired to a bomb which Peretti manages to defuse. When they realize their cover has been blown, the CMB abandon and burn The Carter complex including any evidence of their activities.
After Pookie's funeral, Scotty takes matters into his own hands by going undercover as a drug dealer who wants to get in with the CMB. Scotty infiltrates the CMB thanks in part to the ambitions (and increasing drug use) of Nino's 2nd-in-command and assistant of operations, Gee Money (Allen Payne).
On their first encounter, Nino tells Scotty a story of how he murdered a lady as a part of his initiation into the L.A. Boyz as a youth {which turned out to be Scotty's mother). When questioned by Scotty if the murder was personal or business, Nino explains this away by saying "My brother, it's always business. Never personal." Scotty further gains the trust of Nino after "saving" him from a gun-toting old man and by revealing information of Gee Money's side-deal.
Nino Brown's megalomania separates Nino from his gang and is the catalyst for their downfall. Scotty's cover gets blown during another police sting of CMB operations and they suffer heavy losses. Nino kills Gee Money for his act of betrayal and goes on the run. After the gang's collapse, Nino holes up in an apartment and continues his crime empire solo.
Eventually, Nino is caught by the undercover cops. Scotty viciously beats Nino on a public street for his crimes against the community and as retribution for his mother's murder. In Scotty's rage he says, "This ain't business *expletive*. This is personal" before taking Nick's gun to put an end to his nemesis. Nick convinces Scotty to let Nino live and lets the other cops take him away, and a trial begins.
After turning state's evidence while on the stand, Nino Brown pleads guilty to a lesser charge (though still a felony given the judge's note that the punishment would include at least 12 months prison time). Nino claims he was forced to work for CMB because they threatened his mother and points the finger at Kareem Akbar (portrayed by Christopher Williams), another member of his organization, whom he falsely claims was the actual leader of CMB. As Nino walks triumphantly out of the courthouse, he is murdered ( justifiably so based on Nick and Scotty's reaction) by an older man (Bill Cobbs) who had earlier tried to convince the police of Nino's destruction of his community and made an attempt on his life, but ultimately takes the law into his own hands.
|
|
New Jack City received a favorable reception by film critics for its cast, storyline and soundtrack. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars of four, writing:
Truffaut once said it was impossible to make an anti-war movie, because the war sequences would inevitably be exciting and get the audience involved on one side or the other. It is almost as difficult to make an anti-drug movie, since the lifestyle and money of the drug dealers looks like fun, at least until they're killed. This movie pulls off that tricky achievement. Nino, who looks at the dead body of Scarface and laughs, does not get the last laugh.[6]
Time Out London described the film as "a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation."[7]
New Jack City was produced with an estimated $8,000,000 budget. The film initially premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 1991, before being released nationally on March 8, 1991; it grossed $7,039,622 during its opening weekend. It became the highest grossing independent film of 1992, grossing a total of $47,624,253 domestically.
The New Jack City DVD was originally released in Region 1 on August 25, 1998 and in Region 2 on July 28, 1999; it was distributed by Warner Home Video. The DVD was re-released as a Two-Disc Special Edition on August 23, 2005.
There are rumors that a straight-to-video sequel is in the works, but original cast members Chris Rock, Ice-T, Wesley Snipes, or director Mario Van Peebles will not reprise their roles.[8] Michael C. Martin, writer of Brooklyn's Finest, was reported at work on the straight-to-DVD sequel, for producer Mary Viola.[9]
| Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: New Jack City |
| |||||||||||
New Jack City is a 1991 crime-thriller film about a crime lord who ascends to power and becomes megamanical while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.
Contents |
   | New Jack City - New Jack City DVD - The Official Site |
| | WarnerVideo.com - WBshop.com - The Official Online Store of Warner Bros. Studios |
| | New Jack City - New Jack City :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews |
| | IMDB Entry - New Jack City (1991) |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Facts
Map
Search
