One of the very best movies ever produced. Wesley Snipes was superb as gangsta Nino Brown as was Alan Payne as G-Money, Nino Brown's side-kick. In fact, the entire movie was wonderfully cast.As other reviewers have mentioned, the movie delivers an important message...yet at the same time it is riveting and hilarious at the same time. There are many politically incorrect racial and ethic slurs tossed about so the sensitive viewers may want to beware.Non-stop action that is marvelously delivered by all the actors and actresses. This movie has been described as a sort of Gone With The Wind for the Gangsta population and a break through film for Wesley Snipes.

It's 1986. Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his Cash Money Brothers become dominant in NYC with crack cocaine and violence. They take over the Carter apartment building as their own fortress. For the next few years, they become the scourge of the New Jack City. Stone (Mario Van Peebles) recruits renegade undercover cops Scotty Appleton (Ice-T) and Nick Peretti (Judd Nelson) to take down the gang. They clean up drug-addict Pookie (Chris Rock). Pookie infiltrates the gang for his friend Scotty.It's an over-the-top gangster movie. It has the flashy gangster style. Nino Brown is a super villain. Ice-T pulls off a good hardcore streetwise cop but Judd Nelson is too fake overplaying his crazy cop role. Chris Rock is terrific. Most of times, it's got the fun Scarface-cool ridiculousness. Other times, it's goes overboard into bad campy ridiculousness. It is generally more cool than camp.

New Jack City continues to find ways to be more and more noteworthy, right down to its director, noted blaxploitation pioneer Mario Van Peebles, who uses a genre once largely confined to joke and ridicule to great, serious effect with this particular film. One could look at New Jack City and say it is more of an urban Scarface, acknowledging the crack epidemic that occurred in American during the 1980's and early 1990's with incredible attention to detail. The only difference is it seemed this film was more understood and digested than the other film, for I've never seen merchandise glorifying Nino Brown like I have Tony Scarface.New Jack City follows the gang known as the Cash Money Brothers, the dominant drug gang in New York City during the early days and succeeding years of the crack epidemic that ended lives, worsened poverty, and worked to cripple the lives of many affected by it, directly and indirectly. We follow notorious gang leader Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes), who has baffled police and detectives while captivating those around him with his cut-throat deals, lavish lifestyle, and his carefully-constructed empire off of the destruction of lives in the already struggling area of the New York City projects. Undercover detective Scotty Appleton (Ice T) finds himself learning more and more about Nino the deeper he invests himself in the city's drug scene but finds him increasingly difficult to track and discover. He spends most of his time concocting stings, one of them against Pookie (Chris Rock), a petty junkie victim to the harsh drug and the repercussions it brings.Writers Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper dared explore the topic of the American crack epidemic when no one else was really speaking of it in film. Rap songs seemed to be the only way you could hear about it, as songs, which, from the beginning boasted brutal honesty and unfiltered truth, detailed the horrors that went along with use of the white killer. The fact that Wright and Cooper had the gall to attack this present but collectively ignored idea head-on deserves considerable praise in itself. The fact that it's directed with an admirable slickness, with a variety of different shot structures and techniques by its director, is another feat that is truly fit for praise.Van Peebles actually conducts the film in a similar vein as many action, crime dramas of the 1990's did, through corniness, frequent action scenes, overarching political commentary, and quiet homages to other films. It's amazing because New Jack City isn't much different in style and structure to the films of its time period that were panned, while this film went on to rise above a lot of its predecessors and sister films thanks to its recognition of an enormous national problem. In addition, Van Peebles brings an equally subtle mix of blaxploitation style to his directorial approach to this material, centering a movie on a common urban problem and portraying it as it really was - often horrifying and crippling.New Jack City, however, is far from perfect in any sense. There is a tonal unevenness, especially with the acting, which shows Snipes and Ice-T in cut-throat, serious mode one minute before cutting to Chris Rock's obnoxious Pookie character, who often comes off as ridiculous and goofy. While his character necessary, there is an undeniable sense of overacting to his performance as a junkie, which is a core character in the film as a whole. By making that character goofy and a product of overacting limits the amount of emotional leverage he can have, even if there is an attempt at a heartfelt scene about a quarter of the way through the film. With Rock's performance being frequently outlandish and distracting, we almost forget how great of an impact Snipes or Ice-T can have, especially Snipes, portraying an enigmatic drug dealer with a brash convincing way about him.The tonal inconsistency is New Jack City's major problem, but its commonality makes it only more noteworthy than it already was, exploring a time period that wasn't talked about or portrayed in film until it became something that couldn't be ignored. Despite the glaring issue, there's a refreshing honesty with the film that, in itself, defines why the film has gained such a massive following over time and serves as one of the nineties best films in terms of depicting a culture and a serious national problem.Starring: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock, and Judd Nelson. Directed by: Mario Van Peebles.

New Jack City is an excellent and stylish Gangster film/Crime Drama classic that combines great direction,a wonderful cast,intense Action and a fantastic score and soundtrack. All of those elements make New Jack City an great movie and a an unforgettable Gangster saga.Set in New York City during the late 1980s and early 90s,New Jack City tells the story of Nino Brown(Wesley Snipes),a charismatic Gangster who is the leader of the organization CMB(Cash Money Brothers)and begins making and selling crack on the streets becoming more successful. While Nino is running his empire,a group of cops led by NYPD cop Scotty Appleton(Ice-T)who are watching Nino's every move and want to bring Nino down at all costs.New Jack City is a terrific Gangster/Crime Drama that was the directorial debut of actor Mario Van Peebles and truly came out at the right place at the right time in 1991 because the film was released at the height of the Crack epidemic which was destroying America and putting money in Drug dealers pockets and while New Jack City doesn't give viewers a deep message or social commentary or do anything new in terms of the Gangster movie genre,the film gives viewers solid entertainment and style that keeps you glued to the screen throughout. New Jack City is a Gangster movie that combines elements of the Gangster movies of the 1930s with a mixture of Brian De Palma's Scarface(1983) and 1987s The Untouchables with a story about the rise and fall of a Gangster and mixing with a Cop Drama showing viewers both sides of the law as the movie and both sides of the law deal with the Drug game with violence and death. New Jack City is also a movie that is stylish and bigger than life where everything in the crime and drug world including money,clothes and the way Nino Brown and his associates live are so colorful with the colors blue and red to the point where you as the viewer want to live that lifestyle but NJC also reminds us of the consequences of living the life of a Gangster and that in the criminal world there are no happy endings or hopeful optimism. As colorful and light as the film looks NJC is very gritty showing the terrible effects that Crack had on people in the 1980s and 90s and the Horrors of drug addiction and where addiction can lead to prison,death or rehab. When you look at New Jack City you are absorbed into a world of brightness and darkness that is surrounded by blood and money. The character Nino Brown is a classic gangster film character that becomes iconic and memorable from the moment you watch the movie because like a lot of Gangster in films we don't always like Nino or some of the things that he does(in fact some of the things Nino does in NJC are downright horrendous and unforgivable)but we are captivated by Nino Brown because of his coolness and charisma and in Gangster films we always run with the bad guy no matter what. Like in any Gangster film every criminal has a rise and fall and with Nino he fell just as fast as he rose because while Nino had the money and the power Nino couldn't have love or trust in his life and everything inside Nino's organization starts to fall all around him. We could feel bad for Nino but with all of things he does in the film you are rooting for his demise. Nino Brown is a classic character that you never forget after watching the film and is one of the things that makes New Jack City the classic that it is. Although the film isn't an Action movie NJC is filled with a few intense and really well done Action scenes that are simple but effective. The ending is New Jack City is amazing,shocking and surprising but at the same time goes with the Gangster genre. A terrific ending.The whole cast is terrific. Wesley Snipes is excellent,iconic and his best as Nino Brown,with Snipes bringing coolness and charisma to the role. Ice-T(in his acting debut)is wonderful as N.Y.P.D cop Scotty Appleton,with Ice-T being tough and intense. Allen Payne is terrific as G-Money,Nino's best friend and right hand man. Chris Rock is outstanding,dramatic and funny as Pookie,a crack head that's Scott's friend. Judd Nelson is fantastic as Nick Perretti,Scotty's partner. Mario Van Peebles is great as N.Y.P.D cop Stone,a fellow cop that recruits Scott and Nick. Michael Michele(Selina),Bill Nunn(Duh Duh Duh Man),Vanessa Williams(Keisha),Tracy Camilla Johns(Uniqua),Russell Wong(Parks),Bill Cobbs(Old Man),Christopher Williams(Kareem Akbar),Anthony DeSando(Frankie Needles),John Aprea(Don Armeto),Phyllis Yvonne Stickney(Prosecuting Attorney Hawkins),Thalmus Rasulala(Police Commissioner)and Nick Ashford(Reverend Oates)give good performances as well.The direction by Mario Van Peebles is amazing and stylish,with Pebbles constantly moving the camera with a great visual style that's colorful and dark keeping the film moving at a tight pace. Wonderful direction,Van Peebles.The score by Michel Colombier is outstanding,dark and intense and fits with the tone of the movie. Good score,Colombier. The film also has a great soundtrack with songs by Ice-T(New Jack Hustler),Guy(New Jack City),Troop,Levert and Queen Latifah(For The Love Of Money,Living For The City),Color Me Badd(I Wanna Sex You Up),2 Live Crew(In The Dust),Keith Sweat(There You Go)Telling Me No Again,Johnny Gill(I'm Still Waiting). Amazing soundtrack.In final word if you love Gangster Films or Crime Dramas I highly suggest you see New Jack City,an excellent and stylish Gangster Film/Crime Drama classic that you can watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.