This Spike Lee 'joint' concerns the subject of drug related murder. Lee opens the film with a most sombre body count, setting the scene for a deep, soul searching film that never really eventuates.
One can imagine the original story, from Richard Price's novel, was an intriguing and thought provoking one about a family man with an impeccable employment record who steps forward to claim responsibility for a killing that detective Rocco Klein (Harvey Keitel) is just not convinced he committed.
Lee doesn't focus on this strong narrative though, he rather concentrates on the culture of the 'clockers' (drug dealers) in Harlem and his rather pathetic central character, Ronald 'Strike' Dunham (Mekhi Phifer). So obsessed is our director with these two aspects of his film, that everything else suffers greatly and the movie is thus never able to take hold of its audience.
Class actors like Harvey Keitel and John Turturro have very little to do, with everybody being mere background to lead player Phifer. While the clever plot is all but ignored, Phifer is left to carry the show from beginning to end, which he isn't quite able to do (though he puts in a solid performance). Spike has missed the target here, even if cinematography is spot on.
Saturday, July 20, 1996 - Video
One can imagine the original story, from Richard Price's novel, was an intriguing and thought provoking one about a family man with an impeccable employment record who steps forward to claim responsibility for a killing that detective Rocco Klein (Harvey Keitel) is just not convinced he committed.
Lee doesn't focus on this strong narrative though, he rather concentrates on the culture of the 'clockers' (drug dealers) in Harlem and his rather pathetic central character, Ronald 'Strike' Dunham (Mekhi Phifer). So obsessed is our director with these two aspects of his film, that everything else suffers greatly and the movie is thus never able to take hold of its audience.
Class actors like Harvey Keitel and John Turturro have very little to do, with everybody being mere background to lead player Phifer. While the clever plot is all but ignored, Phifer is left to carry the show from beginning to end, which he isn't quite able to do (though he puts in a solid performance). Spike has missed the target here, even if cinematography is spot on.
Saturday, July 20, 1996 - Video