New Jack City (1991)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Mario Van Peebles

Writers (WGA):

Thomas Lee Wright (story)
Thomas Lee Wright (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 March 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

They're a new breed of gangster. The new public enemy. The new family of crime.

Plot:

A crime lord ascends to power and becomes megamanical while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Drugs | Police | Undercover | New York

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Wesley Snipes	...	Nino Brown
Ice-T	...	Scotty Appleton (as Ice T)
Allen Payne	...	Gee Money
Chris Rock	...	Pookie
Mario Van Peebles	...	Stone
Michael Michele	...	Selina Thomas
Bill Nunn	...	Duh Duh Duh Man
Russell Wong	...	Park
Bill Cobbs	...	Old Man
Christopher Williams	...	Kareem Akbar
Judd Nelson	...	Nick Peretti
Vanessa Williams	...	Keisha
Tracy Camilla Johns	...	Uniqua
Anthony DeSando	...	Frankie Needles
Nick Ashford	...	Reverend Oates

Runtime:

97 min | UK:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:18A | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (cut) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1991) | Norway:(Banned) (1991-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Grant's Tomb - 122th Street & Riverside Drive, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Jacmac Films

Trivia:

Story is largely based on real-life Detroit gang, The Chambers Brothers. Writer Barry Michael Cooper got the idea for the film after visiting Detroit and learning about the gang's exploits.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Needles comes to the club on New Years Eve, Nino pulls a knife and cuts off Needles ponytail. The ponytail comes loose an inch above the blade of the knife when Nino pulls on the ponytail before he moves the blade.

Quotes:

[as Frankie Needles departs from a nightclub, Nick and Scottie stick him up]
Nick Peretti: Behind Door Number One, your head explodes like a melon!
Scotty Appleton: Behind door Number Two, you hook us up with Gee Money and get the prize, Nino Brown.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

(THERE YOU GO) TELLING ME NO AGAIN

Wesley Snipes Should Have Been Nominated

This is one great movie, but the thing that really made it special was Wesley Snipes portrayal of a totally despicable character in Nino Brown. He didn't portray Nino as the stereotypical drug dealer. Instead he portrayed Nino as a highly intelligent man who you wonder what would have happened if he had put his intelligence to more productive pursuits. Also, Ice-T wasn't bad in his first major role and you can see how much he has improved by watching Law and Order: SVU.

This is not your typical movie about the drug culture.