Poetic Justice (1993)

In this film, we see the world through the eyes of main character Justice, a young African-American poet. A mail carrier invites a few friends along for a long overnight delivery run.

Director:

John Singleton

Writer:

John Singleton

Stars:

Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Janet Jackson	...	Justice
Tupac Shakur	...	Lucky
Khandi Alexander	...	Simone
Ché J. Avery	...	Thug #2
Maya Angelou	...	Aunt June
Lloyd Avery II	...	Thug #1
Kimberly Brooks	...	Kim
Rico Bueno	...	Ticket Taker
Maia Campbell	...	Shante
Jeff Cantrel	...	Policeman #4
Michael Colyar	...	Panhandler
Kina Cosper	...	Female Cousin (as Kina V. Cosper)
John Cothran Jr.	...	Uncle Earl
Dina D.	...	Dina
Joe Dalu	...	Policeman #7

Storyline

After witnessing the murder of her first and only boyfriend, young Justice decides to forget about college and become a South Central Los Angeles hairdresser. Avoiding friends, the only way for her to cope with her depression is by composing beautiful poetry. On her way to a convention in Oakland, she is forced to ride with an independent-minded postal worker whom she has not gotten along with in the past. After various arguments between them and their friends, they start to discover that their thoughts on violence, socially and domestically, are the same. Justice may finally feel that she is not as alone as before.

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Plot Keywords:

poetry | mail carrier | south central los angeles | violence | depression | 

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Taglines:

'Cause nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong language, and for violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 July 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fugir do Bairro

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$27,515,786 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, New Deal Productions, Nickel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tupac Shakur got into a heated verbal altercation with an extra on the set. After Shakur made physical threats toward the extra, Maya Angelou pulled Shakur aside and calmed him down.

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Quotes

Justice: [as Iesha vomits on the side on the road after having drunk too much alcohol] Look at you.
Iesha: [dazed] What's up, J? What's the problem, girl?
Justice: [grabbing wine bottle out of Iesha's hand] *This* is the fucking *problem!*
[smashes bottle on the ground]
Justice: I'm *sick* of this shit! That's all you do. You act like some alcoholic bitch!
Iesha: Why are you calling me a bitch?
Justice: [grabbing Iesha tightly by the neck of her shirt] All you do is get drunk all the time. That's why I never go any place with you, because you're ...
[...]

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Connections

References Boyz n the Hood (1991)

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Soundtracks

"I Wanna Be Your Man"
Written by Chaka Demus (as John Taylor), Pliers (as Everton Bonner), Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar (as Sly Dunbar),
Robbie Shakespeare (as Robbie Shakespear) and Lloyd Willis
Produced by Sly & Robbie (as Sly and Robbie)
Performed by Chaka Demus & Pliers
Courtesy of Mango/Island Records, Inc.

User Reviews

One of the truly excellent films of the 1990's!

I saw this film after becoming addicted to 'Boyz n the hood'and 'Higher learning', I think John Singleton is one of the greatest filmmakers working today and Poetic Justice is a great example of a truly dedicated and talented filmmaker. The story starts off with Justice (played brilliantly by Janet Jackson, what a surprise)who witnesses the slaying of her boyfriend at a movie, justice becomes very depressed with life and feels nothing but loneliness. She expresses this by writing poems in a notebook to reveal her pain for her lost love and for the pain of living in America's South central l.a district. Lucky (again played greatly by Tupac Shakur in i feel his most personal and greatest role from 'Juice' right up to 'Gang Related')is a postman with nothing to look forward for in his life except to look after his daughter and a dream of rapping his pain for the hood. Together they go on a road trip with two other friends and learn on how to live again and to find their way in life. The performances are great, Singletons direction is wonderful. If your a fan of other 'hood' movies than this you might find a little different from the others. But nonetheless a deep hearted gem. 9/10