For a film known for its intensified gunfire and emotional downfall, New Jack City holds a true admiration for its cinematic and American past. While much of the Reagan era’s “crime gets you rich” narrative is taken with a sharp point, Mario Van Peebles combines a love of crime cinema with a great gangster creation in Nino Brown. The film maintains a sturdy police procedural which isn’t affected by the rise and fall of someone who is overtaken by greed and lost integrity. It is so impressive that the two here can coexist when the narcotics division is doing the best it can; stakes are added by a former drug addict who allows us to see reform at its most useful, all while the opposing side with Nino and the CMB think they have the upper hand. But the film has such efficient craft, and the downfall has such a catharsis. New Jack City rings even more refreshing and innovative than what The Wire accomplishes in a season of TV compared to this two-hour film.
Making his debut with a film that has as much on its mind about the crack epidemic as drama, Van Peebles focuses on drug effects on people without a purpose or self discovery. Around the same time, Boyz n the Hood, Deep Cover, the B-plot in Jungle Fever, and even King of New York all took a more evolved approach to their characters without feeling like “message” movies. There’s a power to New Jack City, as in Boyz n the Hood, which could come off as preachy and blunt, but that would miss how effervescent the films are. As watchable as they are, it should be remembered how well made the films are, and how dynamic the storytelling. I would rather have a film that’s blatantly upsetting than an emotionally manipulative one, and the early ’90s saw people coming to terms with the inability to come away with a win while being stuck in the cycle of capitalism.
New Jack almost plays like a cautionary tale in 2023. Nino Brown and the Cash Money Brothers gang take control of the drug trade in the neighborhood. Nino’s rise to power involves violence, corruption, and the conversion of an apartment complex into a crack den. Detective Scotty Appleton, determined to stop Nino, goes undercover and partners with the reckless Nick Peretti. They infiltrate Nino’s gang and gain his trust. However, tensions within the gang escalate, leading to deadly confrontations. As the story unfolds, Nino’s empire starts to crumble, but his light sentence in court frustrates Appleton. In a surprising twist, an unknown assailant kills Nino outside the courtroom, satisfying Appleton and Peretti. We’ve arrived at a place in 1991 when it’s not a matter of if but when we see a moment of comeuppance for a figure consumed by the desire for control. I loved Chris Rock’s Pookie this time revisiting the film again as a statement on Nino’s cruel outlook on the drug’s place in low income neighborhoods. Van Peebles including a character who’s at once a victim and now an opposition to Nino only shows the vicious cycle here.
It really made me realize on another watch that this is a powerful and relevant cinematic piece, resonating even more strongly in the context of 2023. Mario Van Peebles’ debut film masterfully explores the harrowing impact of the crack epidemic, delving deep into the consequences of avarice and the loss of integrity in a community besieged by drugs. It wasn’t as hokey to me as its reputation it led me to believe, but rather the sort of overstuffed thriller that isn’t made much anymore. As the film’s characters grapple with their fates, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ they will face the reckoning for their pursuit of control. Reading Ebert’s review it rang true that, “New Jack City” is a film that, despite its unapologetic stance, remains eminently watchable and thought-provoking, a testament to the enduring power of cinema to reflect the complexities of our society.
New Jack City
1991
dir. Mario Van Peebles
101 min.
Screens Saturday 8/26 at Coolidge Corner Theatre
Part of the continuing series: Hip Hop at 50
