ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

jimbo-53-186511 Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes)is a drug lord who takes over a city by using the Carter Building to produce and sell crack cocaine. Brown and his gang are making $1,000,000 a week and have almost total control of the city. In order to bring Nino down, streetwise cop Scotty (Ice-T) attempts to infiltrate Nino and his gang by sending in reformed crack addict Pookie (Chris Rock). When this attempt fails, Scotty finds he must go undercover himself in an attempt to bring Nino and his operation down.Director Mario Van Peebles directs the film with some competency - it has a certain style about it and the look and the feel of the film certainly feel authentic. It's gritty, grimy and brutal which gives a semi satisfying feel to it. Sadly where New Jack City really falls apart is when you take away all the gloss and the polish and look at the bare bones of the product.The film puts most of its focus on Nino Brown which is fine, but it doesn't afford him much development turning what should be a complex drug-lord into a rather simplistic character.I would have preferred it if Brown was fleshed out a bit and made a bit more interesting which at least would have made the story a bit more involving. Snipes throws himself into the role and his work here is irable and he is fun to watch, but sometimes he overplays the role making him look like a caricature rather than an actual character or person we can connect with. Rock plays the role of an ex-crack addict in a mix of comedy and drama which doesn't entirely work, but Rock is OK here. Ice T is good here mixing sarcasm and tough-talking to good effect.Aside from all of the above I also found the story a little weak and it perhaps wouldn't have hurt to explore the general drug-culture and to give Nino's big rivals a little more focus. This not only would have fleshed the story out more, but it probably would have made it a bit more involving. The pace is also a little lethargic and made long stretches of the film a bit boring.In summary then the film is stylish, gritty and brutal, but the story is rather pedestrian lacking in both focus and depth. It gets its point across in the end (in a final scene that ittedly took me by surprise) and therefore gets an extra star for that alone. New Jack City certainly has its moments, but for me it was weak in far too many areas for it to even achieve a able score.

Gideon24 One of the biggest box office smashes of 1991 was New Jack City, a slightly over-the-top but engrossing crime drama, set during the advent of the crack epidemic of the 1980's, which follows the charismatic rise of a drug dealer named Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes), whose overthrow of a ghetto apartment complex and turning it into a drug manufacturing and selling empire, elevates him to the title of drug lord and a group of cops who have made it their life mission to bring him down. The story eventually whittles its way down to a cat and mouse battle between Brown and one cop named Scotty Templeton (Ice-T), with whom a personal connection is revealed.Directed by Mario Van Peebles, who also appears in the film as the cop in charge of bringing Nino down, this film struck a chord with that all- important 18-34 demographic for the wrong reason, primarily that it glamorizes drug abuse and makes the lifestyle that can be achieved selling drugs very appealing, despite a somewhat preachy screenplay and some unappealing characters.On the plus side, Wesley Snipes lights up the screen as Nino Brown and there is a scene-stealing turn by a very young Chris Rock, as a crack addict who Scotty throws under a bus as an accomplice in his mission. Allen Payne is also effective as Nino's childhood friend and second in command as is Judd Nelson as Scotty's rogue partner.Rich with violence, sexual content, and a score that is a hip-hop lover's dream, it is no surprise that this film cleaned up at the box office.

Mr-Fusion "New Jack City" is one of those movies that's made by one really good performance. In this case, it's Wesley Snipes, who takes the role of vicious drug lord and makes it his own, commanding every minute of his screen time. Unfortunately, he can't be around all the time, and we're left with Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles and Judd Nelson, who vary from half-decent to awful. No one else comes close to the lead. This probably had more cultural impact back in '91, but 25 years later, it's more bemusing than anything. It veers toward the cartoonish when it's eye is on Scarface levels of drama (even featuring the movie on TV to hammer home the point . . . twice). The sermonizing also doesn't work so well today, and the movie does plenty of that.5/10

tavm 20 years after his father, Melvin Van Peebles, had made a revolutionary film called Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song, Mario Van Peebles would direct something of a classic himself with New Jack City. He plays the superior officer of a detective played by rapper Ice-T who we find out has personal reasons for wanting the drug dealer Nino Brown, played by Wesley Snipes, dead. Assisting him is partner Judd Nelson and a former played by Chris Rock before he ed the cast of "Saturday Night Live". While Rock is better known as a comedian, he gives a fine dramatic performance here. Of course, it's Snipes who gets the lion's share of the acting highlights especially when his character's on trial. While it seems initially the drug lifestyle is glamorous here, it does show eventually that crime doesn't pay. So on that note, New Jack City gets a high recommendation from me. P.S. While I managed to watch this on YouTube, some parts were missing so I checked the Italian on the site to watch what I missed and I managed to understand what was going on despite the Italian dubbing.