Product Details

• Actors: Charles S. Dutton, Courtney B. Vance, Kadeem Hardison, Lonette McKee, Garland Whitt
• Directors: Ernest R. Dickerson
• Writers: Frank Military
• Producers: Armand Leo, Mace Neufeld, Nick Grillo, Robert Rehme, Romi Lassally
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Showtime Ent.
• VHS Release Date: January 4, 2000
• Run Time: 122 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00002AFX6
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,083 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very riveting, suspenseful, and powerful!, February 9, 2000

By	Stephen Foreman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To me this is a story with many simple yet powerful messages. It quite accurately reflects the social attitudes of the 50s, especially as regards blacks (I won't go further for fear of giving away one of the plot twists). It forcefully leads us question our own priorities in life when making important decisions.

The story captures one's interest right away and doesn't let go of that interest all the rest of the way through. Going along with this, I must make the point that one just cannot help constantly feeling for the young man who is faced with the need of pleasing his father, on the one hand, and doing what is best for himself on the other.

The acting performances, especially by the young man, his father, and his lawyer, are powerful and forceful and don't sacrifice reality for the sake of dramatic effect. In fact, I found it very easy to put myself into the shoes of all of these characters and feel the stresses each one was experiencing.

The story is very true to life. It doesn't pull any punches and is told very straightforwardly and honestly.

In closing, I say that if I could give this movie a sixth star, I would do so. It goes without saying that it is a "must see," especially for those of us who are interested in facing life as it is rather than living constantly in a fantasy world.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare To Be Blown Away , December 27, 2005

By	James Morris (Jackson Heights, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Of all the dozens of excellent films I have in my collection on VHS, this remains the film I would most like to see transferred to DVD. What a gem!

When I originally purchased it without knowing a thing about it, I was slightly intrigued by the fact that the synopsis on the video box makes the film sound like a gritty suspense thriller, one of my favorite genres. The plot sounded interesting - a young black student is accused of murdering a white teen in NYC during the 1950's. OK, sounds like an intriguing piece of drama, I'll take it. So I took it home and was utterly blown away. One plot twist after another, fantastic acting, and a surprise theme about homophobia (which turns out to be the main point of the film) kept me riveted to my seat for the entire film.

The story was believable, the drama intense, and the ending heartbreaking. I kept thinking about this film for days after I'd seen it, and since then I have lent my VHS to a half dozen friends, all of who were as emotionally effected by its sincerity as I was. This minor masterpiece, which sadly seems to be quite obscure, is a piece of drama that I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. If you can manage to find it anywhere, rent it, purchase it, copy it, or steal it. You won't be sorry.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Movie., April 23, 2002

By A Customer

Surprisingly, this movie was excellent, if not for the story it told about the struggle of African Americans before the Civil Rights Movement, then certainly for the story it tells about homophobia, and the bigotry that exists in every community, minority or otherwise. I would recommend this movie to any person of color who is also an affectational minority.