Rating: 
Summary: "You are sellin' your own people death!"
Review: "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 "The Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers") 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. Terrence 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
Rating: 
Summary: CLASSIC GANGSTA MOVIE; 4.5 STARS
Review: A DRUG DEALER IS MURDERED IN A RESTERAUNT ONE NIGHT AND THE DETECTIVE ON THE CASE [PLAYED BY THE GREAT HARVEY KEITEL] DOESN'T BELIEVE HE'S REALLY GUILTY. HE THINKS HIS BROTHER [MEKHI PHIFER, IN HIS FILM DEBUT] IS THE ONE THAT'S REALLY GUILTY. THIS WAS A VERY WELL ACTED MOVIE AND UNLIKE MANY OTHER GANGSTA MOVIES, THIS IS SHORT ON VIOLENCE! THIS IS THE KIND OF GANGSTA MOVIE THAT MAKES YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT. A VERY GOOD MOVIE FROM SPIKE LEE.
Rating:
Summary: Spike's best.
Review: Burns itself into your brain. Great cinematography by MalikHassan Sayeed. On the same level as the book; both are so vivid thatthey actually drain you. Watch it.
Rating:
Summary: An honest, contemporary view of life; 5.1 digital sound.
Review: Can life on the otherside of the tracks be that extremely different yet the people that much the same?Working in a low income ghetto of Brooklyn (or was the Bronx?), Rocco Klien, played by Keitel, is one of NYPD's wily detectives: his medium frame is inured to the plainess of his grey suit. He's a White detective in a Black neighborhood. The story and Keitel's performance makes you ask: why would Rocco Klien choose to stay in this "Homocide" assignment in this neighborhood? His suspect is Strike, played by Mekhi Phifer. Perhaps one of the best unknown newcomers of the 90s, Phifer plays Strike without the cruches often assigned to actors by screenwriters who know nothing about ghetto life, be it African American or Armenian. Strike's perspective and his dialog is pure and honest. Presented in pure 5.1 digital surround, the audio mix is understated, yet it's presentation effectively employed by Director Spike Lee. The bloody imagery of gun shot still photos that open the film probably resulted in its release being limited to 18 and over; however, the film's content is not violent enough to remove it from your list of teenage viewable pictures. "Clockers" presents another reality seldom understood by us mainsteamers--and, if you dare, it's a reality you can explore from the comfort and security of your home.
Rating:
Summary: Subtle Lee
Review: Clockers deals with the same issues as Do the Right Thing did, but in so much more of a subtle, less stylized way, they are not from the same Spike Lee. Leefs strongest point is his ability to set small intensities through the film it feels real, almost documentary. With Do the Right Thing, those same events felt forced and it was too difficult to sympathize with any of the characters. I hope to see more of the Clockerfs Lee and would appreciate any recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: Subtle Lee
Review: Clockers deals with the same issues as Do the Right Thing did, but in so much more of a subtle, less stylized way, they are not from the same Spike Lee. Leefs strongest point is his ability to set small intensities through the film it feels real, almost documentary. With Do the Right Thing, those same events felt forced and it was too difficult to sympathize with any of the characters. I hope to see more of the Clockerfs Lee and would appreciate any recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: Truth to life about the thug life
Review: Clockers does not come soft. It's true to life from the first frame to the last. I love the fact the Spike Lee doesn't use any glamour about the problems of drug dealing in the urban city.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful movie wit' a message
Review: Clockers has a seemingly simple plot: the owner of a fast food restaurant is brutally murdered. there are two suspects. a law-abiding family man and his brother, a drug dealer AKA clocker(one who sells drugs around the clock,nonstop). when the law-abiding brother turns himself in for the crime, a police lieutenant suspects something is wrong. and he is determined to put the right man behind bars, not the wrong one. when its all over, it's not as simple as that. that is what distinguishes this spike lee movie from so many other drug pushing crime movies out there. there is alot going on in this movie, some of it subliminally. characters are not cardboard cutouts, they are real. we know where they live, what they do, even what they drink and diseases they have. the clockers themselves know that the drugs are not good, they only sell them to make money. they don't use their merchandise themselves. the cast is great with harvey keitel as the lieutenant, delroy lindo as the head of the local clockers, and mekhi pfifer in a stunning debut as the clocker in question. this young man needs to be offered more parts in hollywood. this movie is powerful,gritty; a message is there if you look for it. anyone looking for a good movie should give Clockers a viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Clock This Movie
Review: Clockers has said to be Spike Lees best work. Maybe. A great novel from Richard Price set in the Brooklyn Projects is based on the gruesome murder of a fast food manager. A whodunit between a law obiding brother who confesses (Isaiah Thomas) and drug dealer (Mekhi Phifer) brings together a story of the streets. Undertones here make this movie very good as New York cops are shown almost getting a good laugh as they get a gory look at the murder victim. The issue of Black and White which Spike Lee is famous for is omnipresent but is more a reality based look than his sometimes editorialized views that we see in other films. Spike does put his signature on this film with his weird editing techniques which I could have done without. Harvey Keitel is perfectly cast as the cheif interrogating officer who doesn't beleive the confession. Delroy Lindo as druglord and a pre Sopranos Michael Imperioli as detective on the take are well acted. Phifer is naturally good in this role as he tells wise cracking white cops, "You Got Jokes." Clockers is edited like a film from NYU but is as real as an A&E episode of invesigative reports!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: Clockers is a shocking, crime film with fantastic performances. I won't go into the plot because you can read about that below. I will say that the performances are nothing short of brilliant. The brutality is honest and true and the depiction of the neighborhood balanced. Yes folks it is true, not everyone who lives in a supposed ghetto deal drugs or commit crimes and I appreciate Spike Lee for showing that. The performances are brilliant especially Kietel. I am a fan of Harvey Kietel and I love his character in this film. Filmed as a typical racist(maybe just ignorant) cop and in the end coming to a realisation that he played a part in the violence. I too believe this to be Spike Lee's best film(I can't believe I just said that). Yes, even better than Do The Right Thing in my opinion. Check this film out, you won't be sorry. BTW, the soundtrack isn't too bad either. A great songs by Seal and Desiree stand out.
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