15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"You are sellin' your own people death!", February 17, 2005
"Clockers"(1995) really blind-sided me.
Spike Lee can't necessarily claim to be the most subtle filmmaker, in fact he seems dead-set on attaining and retaining the title of "auteur," taking that extra step to inform the viewer that it is *indeed* a Spike Lee "joint." Fans of his films know exactly what I mean. And, of course, his showmanship is evident. But collaborating with famed novelist Richard Price for a gritty indictment of black-on-black crime, the inner-city crack plague, and the oddly symbiotic relationship among drug-dealers and police in the Brooklyn Projects, has resulted in (if not his best, then) certainly his most mature film to date.
Listen, I like Spike, I've kept up with every movie of his so far, excluding "She Hate Me". But even a seasoned veteran such as he can get better with literary influence. So much so, that the story in "Clockers" completely overrides Spike's typically gimmicky visual tricks and (this is why I'm most proud of this film) his unabashed preachiness he seems to need to constantly insert in his projects. The biting dialogue is there: "Black man say he didn't do sun-in, you don't believe him. Black man say he DID do sun-in, you still don't believe him." However, Lee manages these thematics seamlessly into the plot's progression with a curious mixture of intuition and force.
Lee shifts the focus of Price's novel from Rocco to Strike, a young African-American "clocker" (round-the-clock crack dealer) looking to rise in the drug-trade ranks, run by his makeshift mentor Rodney Little (a blistering, cunning performance by Delroy Lindo). Rodney -- persuasive as all hell -- asks/tells Strike to off a worker in a fast-food restaurant for limiting Rodney's dealing options. Hours later, the guy is dead but the crime is not shown. When Strike's older brother Victor (Isaiah Washington) confesses to police, hardened Detective Rocco Klein (suitably dependable Harvey Keitel) doesn't buy it and begins to suspect Strike instead.
As the investigation deepens, unexpected character traits emerge. Strike -- initially seeming hard, ignorant, and aimless -- actually wears that very facade to mask the fact he's really a scared kid unsure of a future. This fear and stress that accompanies his job has manifested physically as a bad stomach ulcer that makes him double over and expel blood through the latter half of the film. Victor -- the apparently virtuous, job-holding, mannerly, father-of-two -- eventually reveals a dangerous level of resentment and hatred buried deep but slowly working its way to the surface.
The "homo-cide" squad are first portrayed as racist, uncaring kingpins -- not too unlike Rodney -- that laugh and joke over bodies at the crime scene. Then Rocco and his team (John Turturro and Michael Imperioli) make unexpected business deals with Strike involving crackdowns and kickbacks. Most revealing (and rather humorous) is that the large number of customers for crack in the housing project are middle-class or affluent white people.
What separates this "hood movie" from the majority are the contradictory surprises. Unexpected, yet certainly believable. Without giving spoilers, Strike's saving grace ends up being the police he always tries to avoid. He even asks Rocco (in what I believed would be the film's disastrous downfall) what made him care about some random "nigga killing," and I was ready for Spike to throw the whole flick away on Keitel's response... The response given is one of the most honest, heartbreaking, and realistic lines of screenwriting I've come across yet. Bravo, Price and Lee.
Accolades to the soundtrack. This is one of the smartest batch of tracks Lee has assembled for a film of his, and they enunciate the dreaded and narrow confines of inner-city life without drowning you in third-rate gangsta rap. In fact, all the hip-hop tracks (especially KRS-ONE's "Outta Here") are spot on the emotion in whichever scene they are played. Even the softer original tracks (Chaka Khan, Des'ree, Seal) have a gentle nobility that doesn't pander to the R&B crowd. Terence Blanchard's orchestral/jazz score achieves several great moments of genuine woe and remorse.
I find "Clockers" to be an inquisitive, audacious and Soulful piece of filmmaking. The way in which it overlaps disheartening despair, humor-within-ignorance, poignant community drama, characters that expertly shred stereotype, and a genuine glimpse of hope is a masterful feat in any regard. It's a courageous move to make when your questions don't come with answers. What is offered is the possibility of an answer, an elaborately simple one. I expected an inner-city detective thriller but walked away with a gripping emotional maelstrom that honestly reaches the level of overwhelming. Very long story short, "Clockers" is the film that I was waiting for Spike Lee to make, because I knew he had it in him. I praise and commend this achievement, Mars. Anyone interested in a drastically good film ought to hit this joint.
The DVD is barebones: trailer, production notes, bios. But the price is worth it to see DP Malik Sayeed's stark and immediate photography in the theatrical 1.85:1 ratio, and crystal clear. Decent 5.1 sound mix, as well: the music is allowed to shine.
NO MORE PACKING
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ClOcKeRs IS RAW, REAL ,and POWERFUL, November 1, 1999
By A Customer
With so many films based around the topic of drugs,and urban decay,and leaving the audience with a sense of (ok,I've seen this story before)made me ask "IS ClOcKeRs worth my time?" Hell yes! Spike Lee'S classic, ... yes classic, is so RAW,REAL,and POWERFUL that it makes all previous drug focused films seem pointless. what i mean is, most films that cover this topic seem to glamorize the lifestyle,and leaves no message.ClOcKeRs is the tail of A young black male called Strike who's spot on the benches and bleeding ulcer is getting the best of him, until his boss Rodney gives him a chance to move up in the drug game.When a fellow drug dealer gets killed,and Strike's hard working (legit) brother confesses to the murder,A detective by the name of Roco feels that there's more to the story. With a very raw intro and out standing directing, Spike Lee brings the realness to the screen with ClOcKeRs. so go rent it Aiight.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An underrated classic, May 7, 2001
I think this is one of Spike Lee's best films - it deftly balances a compelling murder mystery with a wider portrait of the people, both innocent and less so, whose lives are warped by their community's decay in ways both obvious and subtle.
The movie juggles a cast of a round dozen characters seemingly effortlessly, and with enough skill and density that you feel like you know them far better than their actual screen time would warrant. The cast is first-rate, the acting is excellent, the direction keeps the story moving at an exciting clip, and the music is a perfect balance of hip-hop beats with a more traditional score.
Most importantly, the story veers away from exploitation and glamorization. Strike's miserable condition and his endless ulcers give us a portrait of a confused and misdirected life that feels sadly plausible. What's really interesting is how Lee enlists the setting of the movie as a sort of omnipresent background character - his camera is always roving around, showing us the little details, from the cyclone fencing to the burnt-out neon signs, that make up a ghetto. By the end of the movie, we know the charred landscape well enough to experience firsthand Strike's profound relief upon his eventual escape from it.
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