Movies - New Jack City

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	Movies - New Jack City

New Jack City is a 1991 crime-thriller film starring Wesley Snipes, Ice T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson and Chris Rock. New Jack City was the first theatrically released feature film for director Mario Van Peebles. It was filmed from April 16 to June 6, 1990.

Taglines:

They're a new breed of gangster. The new public enemy. The new family of crime.
Where survival depends on friends, trust and power... An organized crime family out to run this city is up against cops who knows its streets.

Synopsis

Nino Brown (played by Snipes) and his gang, the Cash Money Brothers, become the dominant drug ring within New York City when crack cocaine is introduced to the city streets during the 1980s and early 1990s. They convert an entire apartment complex ("The Carter") into a crack house. Undercover cops (played by Ice T and Nelson) try to convict the gang with evidence of the drug dealing. They recruit Pookie (played by Chris Rock), a former stick-up kid turned recovering crackhead, to work undercover at "The Carter" to help them gather incriminating evidence against Nino and the Cash Money Brothers. Eventually, megalomania separates Nino from his gang and is the catalyst for their downfall.

Nino is eventually caught by the undercover cops, and sent to trial. Because of a flawed technicality in the case, Nino Brown was cleared of all felonies and only charged with a few misdemeanors; and another member of his organization, Kareem Akbar (portrayed by Christoper Williams), was framed and charged on all counts. Immediately after the trial Nino Brown is murdered in the courthouse by a vigilante from the neighborhood he once controlled.

Cast

Reception

Film reviews

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. Notable film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film favorable reviews, and noted, "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 antidrug 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."

Box office

New Jack City was produced with an estimated $8,500,000 budget. The film initially premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 1991, before being released nationally on March 6, 1991; it grossed $7,039,622 during its opening weekend. It became the highest grossing independent film of 1991, grossing a total of $47,624,253 at the US box offices.

DVD release

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.

Special Edition DVD features: #Commentary by: director/costar Mario Van Peebles #New Jack City: A Hip-Hop Classic #Harlem World: A Walk Inside #The Road to New Jack City #Original music videos: "New Jack Hustler" (Nino's Theme) by Ice T, "I'm Dreamin'" by Christopher Williams, and "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd #Original theatrical trailer

Awards and nominations

1993 Image Awards

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture — Wesley Snipes
(won)

1992 MTV Movie Awards

Best Breakthrough Performance — Ice T
(nominated)
Best Movie Song — "I Wanna Sex You Up," by Color Me Badd (nominated)
Best Villain — Wesley Snipes
(nominated)

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for New Jack City ]

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