Opening on a striking note with a montage of gory crime scene photographs set to romantic music, 'Clockers' hints from early on at the desensitisation of its protagonists to their violent lives as the film to come focuses on a group of African American youths groomed by local druglords to sell their product. To these young men, the world of drugs is simply the norm, but when one of their own is murdered under suspicious circumstances, tensions erupt as the investigating police officer does not believe the man who confesses. The film is very well acted by all concerned and director Spike Lee is never one to shy away from necessary grit and grime, yet this is an oddly sentimental movie at the end of the day, heavily focused on the well- meaning adults in the neighbourhood who want anything but the local crime influence to rub off on the younger generation. Harvey Keitel's otherwise hard- nosed cop also has a strange change of heart of sorts towards the end which does not really align with his character's values and attitudes. 'Clockers' is, however, a movie full of excellent small moments as its down-to-earth characters interact with one another. The film is exquisitely shot throughout too with memorable bits including a reflection of Keitel viewed in another character's eyeball and a shot that slowly spins around Keitel while he converses with another character at night.
