It's a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation, with Van Peebles piling on corruption and carnage for all he's worth.
Comment
01/26/06
New Jack City (1991)
79
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:22
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.4/10
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: A violent, kinetic gangster film with a strong anti-drug message, NEW JACK CITY is set in the mid-1980s during the height of the crack epidemic. Two street-wise undercover cops (Judd Nelson, Mario... [More]
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Judd Nelson, Mario Van Peebles, Chris Rock
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Reviews for New Jack City
Top CriticViolent and very engaging.
01/18/06
Top CriticIt's still entertaining, but New Jack City now feels about as edgy as an old razor. And it's just as disposable.
05/24/03
Top CriticOK Van Peebles flick featuring Snipes.
02/23/08
We all know New Jack City is making the right statement on drugs, racism, the system, etc. But the fact is it's not very good.
10/30/07
Though this often plays like a 70s cop show, it became a prototype for the bling-heavy gangsta melodramas of the 90s.
10/30/07
Filmmakers pull off a provocative, pulsating update on gangster pics with this action-laden epic about the rise and fall of an inner city crack dealer.
10/30/07
Top CriticNo review available.
12/29/06
A cynical director, Van Peebles has style to burn, but his work is too flashy to make sense. This is a gangster-thriller about crack trade in Hralem done as a moralistic melodrama with kinky violence.
09/16/06
No review available.
10/28/05
No review available.
09/21/05
...a purely conventional story, but it unfolds in unique and innovative ways, with particularly good turns from its cast, all of which make it a worthwhile watch.
08/17/05
It's basically Scarface with a hip-hop mentality, but it's also a slickly entertaining and consistently engaging crime thriller.
08/05/05
The movie was advertised (no doubt wisely) as a slam-bang action adventure, but in fact it's a serious, smart film with an impact that lingers after the lights go up.
08/05/05
Top CriticNo review available.
02/09/05
No review available.
04/09/04
No review available.
11/20/03
No review available.
06/17/03
The film's use of once-imposing, now-crumbling New York architecture is particularly effective in underscoring the story with an air of widespread urban decay.
05/20/03
Top CriticLatest News for New Jack City
October 31, 2007:
Total Recall: American Gangster's Paradise
This week, Ridley Scott's American Gangster starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington hits theaters. With its story of a drug kingpin and the cop who's trying to take him... More...
February 07, 2007:
"Goonies 2?" "Gremlins 3?" "Scooby-Doo 3???"
We've been hearing all sorts of rumors about Warner Bros. unleashing a direct-to-video sequel to "The Lost Boys," and that particular project does seem to be moving... More...
November 24, 2004:
Wesley Snipes on Upcoming Projects
More...
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