New Jack City

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New Jack City
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mario Van Peebles
Produced by	Doug McHenry Mario Kassar Fab Five Freddy George Jackson
Written by	Thomas Lee Wright Barry Michael Cooper
Starring	Wesley Snipes Mario Van Peebles Ice T Judd Nelson Eek-a-Mouse Anthony DeSando Allen Payne Chris Rock Bill Nunn
Distributed by	Warner Bros. New Line Cinema (theatrical) Columbia Pictures (United Kingdom) Carolco Pictures (United Kingdom)
Release date(s)	March 8, 1991
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8,500,000
IMDb profile

For the Father Ted episode, see New Jack City (Father Ted).

New Jack City is a 1991 crime-thriller/Neo-noir 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 the film's director and co-star Mario Van Peebles. It was filmed from April 16 to June 6, 1990. New Jack City was based on the exploits of notorious 70's Harlem drug kingpin Nicky Barnes, and the ruthless Detroit drug gang of the 1980s "Y.B.I." (Young Boys Incorporated). The script was written by journalist-turned-screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper (who also scripted two additional movies in 1994, New Line Cinema's "Above The Rim", and Beacon-20th Century Fox's "Sugar Hill", which also starred Wesley Snipes). Cooper rewrote an original script titled "Nicky"--based on Leroy "Nicky" Barnes--penned by Thomas Lee Wright. New Jack City was also based on a cover story written by Barry Michael Cooper in the Village Voice titled "Kids Killing Kids: New Jack City Eats Its Young", dated December 1st, 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 Incorporated and The Chambers Brothers.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reception
4 DVD release
5 See also
6 Notes
7 External links

[edit] Plot

Nino Brown (Wesley 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 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 turned 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, and Appleton takes matters into his own hands by going undercover as a drug dealer who wants to get in with the Cash Money Brothers. Appleton gains the trust of Nino by revealing information about Nino's 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 once best friend. Nino Brown's megalomania separates Nino from his gang and is the catalyst for their downfall.

Nino is eventually caught by the undercover cops and brought to trial. It is then discovered by Appleton that Nino was the young gangster that killed his mother, a teacher, as an initiation into his first gang. 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. Immediately after the trial Nino Brown is murdered in the courthouse by an older man who had earlier tried to contact the police about Nino but finally took the law into his own hands.

[edit] Cast

Wesley Snipes — Nino Brown
Ice T — Scotty Appleton
Allen Payne — Garald "Gee Money" Welles
Chris Rock — Pookie
Mario Van Peebles — Stone
Michael Michele — Selina
Bill Nunn — Duh Duh Duh Man
Russell Wong — Park

Bill Cobbs — Old man
Christopher Williams — Kareem Akbar
Judd Nelson — Nick Peretti
Vanessa A. Williams — Keisha
Tracy Camilla Johns — Uniqua
Anthony DeSando — Frankie Needles
Nick Ashford — Rev. Oates
Eek-a-Mouse - Fat Smitty

[edit] Reception

[edit] 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. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film favorable reviews. He wrote:

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.^[1]

Time Out London described the film as "a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation."[1]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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)

[edit] 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

[edit] See also

New Jack City (soundtrack) — original soundtrack to the film
New jack swing
The Godfather-New Jack City borrows numerous plot devices, motifs, and lines from this film
Scarface - 1983 film
American Gangster - 2007 film