Fly by Night (1992) User Reviews

"Sweetheart, sweetheart, its time for us to go...."

[jerrycurlz · 20 April 2001]

This movie was surprisingly entertaining. It reminds me of the pro-black era of early 90's hip-hop. The plot is kind of jaggedly put together, but the dialogue is fresh and the performance scenes are innovative. I wonder who wrote the songs for the "King and I" rap group. Man, they were tight, some reminded me of Gang Starr w/ a mad jazz feel, and the gangsta raps resembled some ol skool N.W.A. I would definitely cop the soundtrack if it existed. The ending of the movie must've been improvised though because it didnt make any sense at all to me. It looked like they copped it from "Juice" or something. I give this movie a thumbs up though because of the tight performance scenes, humorous dialogue, and some minimalistic but pretty well done performances by rappers Special Ed, MC Lyte, and this brother named Ron Brice who stood out in his performance as the diabolical mc--"I".(Maybe they got together and wrote the rhymes for the ficticious rap groups in the movie because the songs were mad tight y'all.) If you're watching BET Starz and this movie is on check it out.

I can't believe anyone can take this film seriously...

[SenorCarlitoBrigante · 1/10 · 10 March 2006]

..it is AWFUL.

However, I'm gonna buy it because it's one of the most unintentionally hilarious films I've ever seen.

If the King and I were a real Hip Hop act back in the day, they would have been laughed off the stage.

It seemed like they were trying to get the same kind of double-act effect of Public Enemy, i.e. Chuck D with the seriousness (King) and Flavor Flav with the more comedic style (I), but they come across more like Laurel & Hardy.

I can't stress how poorly made this is, but it's great entertainment if you've had a few beers and want something to laugh at!

Underrated hood classic

[Seth_Rogue_One · 7/10 · 14 March 2016]

Quite surprised to see the ratings of this: 4.4/10 (current rating) is by no means an indication of the quality of the movie.

Sure it doesn't exactly wrap things up as neatly as perhaps I'd wish it had but the ride is good, especially the first 50 minutes which is excellent.

If you don't like rap-music I can see you struggling with this one though cause there's a lot of rap-performances in it but it always seem like they have a meaning to them not just put in there randomly to fill up the running-time, and the lyrics definitely portrays the characters in the movie accurately as well.

And the music is great, Ron Brice as I is excellent and I went looking to see if he's released any music outside of the movie but can't find any which is a shame and very surprising cause he's got serious story-telling skills that the rappers of today could only dream about having.

If you like movies like JUICE (1992) and 8 MILE (2002) then it's well worth checking out, although it's not really a easy movie to find unfortunately.

Its like 8mile but 15 years Ago! Strong Old School Rap!

[mylesmchugh · 10/10 · 9 January 2003]

This is a real good film if you like rap, its real old school, The mixing and scratching in its really good. The character "I" Plays a blinding performance you would think he was that evil. Its a good story and has a good ending i cant understand why its got bad rating. If you like hip hop - rap you must get this video.

Still relevant

[rodthedj · 8/10 · 5 May 2006]

This movie is one of the most underrated movies in Hip Hop. The directing was great although some of the acting needed work. The movie is still relevant even today concerning wanna be rappers aspirations to rise to the top of the game by leaving all else, whether family or friends, behind in pursuit of the new American dream. The idea of pretending to be someone ur not to make the money is what still drives not only the Hip Hop scene, but the entire music industry and this movie brings it home when Rich takes his ass home to his wife and son. All the scenarios in this movie are still plaguing our beloved Hip Hop culture today as they did in raps early stages. I'm a 40 yr old hip hop loving old fuk and not afraid to tell anyone just as i did in the 70's that hip hop is here to stay and like Rock-N-Roll, hip hop will have its downtime as well. If ur a real hip hop fan, the music and dancing will take a side step when u listen hard to the lyrics of 'I' as well as the executive producer where they get into it over the market history of hip hop as well as the history of Jews, Africans and the American Negro. The mature kitchen discussion of Rap music in the kitchen with the white MILF. The gay guys twist on the bashing of his kind verses the perpetuation of the over emphasized coolness of the B-Boy style. Lastly the realization of playing the game as it dawns over Maura Tierney, who played Rich's lust interest, that she's playing a game and only rebelling from her parents. There's some serious thought put into this movie and its kinda deep if ur not just looking for flashy DJing (I am one so don't hate), clothing and bling. I'm so glad this movie came out before the word 'Bling' hit the culture. This movie is a definite treasure for all those truly into hip hop for more than the beats and bullshit......Bling!

It may not soar, but it flies

[delro · 8/10 · 10 August 2014]

I'll keep this short and simple. Fly By Night is by no means a Great film. But that being said, I found myself wanting to dismiss it but not being able to. One reviewer commented on a scene between a white mother and some young, black men as being an infomercial for rap, but as someone who came up in the time depicted, I remember those conversations. And as someone in the music industry, the conversation between the label and the artists is the same basic conversation people have today. Yes, there is an abrupt twist that is a little awkward, and it's definitely a product if its time in terms of slang and dress (which is to be expected) but overall I found myself leaving with more respect for the film now than when I first saw it (back when it first came out).