Clockers (1995)

Young drug pushers in the projects of Brooklyn live hard dangerous lives, trapped between their drug bosses and the detectives out to stop them.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers:

Richard Price (book), Richard Price (screenplay),

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harvey Keitel	...	Det. Rocco Klein
John Turturro	...	Det. Larry Mazilli
Delroy Lindo	...	Rodney Little
Mekhi Phifer	...	Ronald 'Strike' Dunham
Isaiah Washington	...	Victor Dunham
Keith David	...	André the Giant
Peewee Love	...	Tyrone 'Shorty' Jeeter (as Pee Wee Love)
Regina Taylor	...	Iris Jeeter
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	...	Errol Barnes (as Tom Byrd)
Sticky Fingaz	...	Scientific
Fredro Starr	...	Go (as Fredro)
Elvis Nolasco	...	Horace (as E.O. Nolasco)
Lawrence B. Adisa	...	Stan
Hassan Johnson	...	Skills
Frances Foster	...	Gloria

Storyline

Strike is a young city drug pusher under the tutelage of drug-lord Rodney Little, who, when not playing with model trains or drinking Moo for his ulcer, just likes to chill with his brothers near the benches outside the project houses. When a night man at a fast-food restaurant is found with four bullets in his body, Strike's older brother turns himself in as the killer. Det. Rocco Klein doesn't buy the story, however, and sets out to find the truth, and it seems that all the fingers point toward Strike & Rodney.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | drug lord | train | role model | new york city | 

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Taglines:

When there's murder on the streets, everyone is a suspect.

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence, strong language and drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nepperek

Filming Locations:

88th Precinct - 298 Classon Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$13,040,603 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Universal paid $1.9 million for the rights to the Richard Price novel.

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Goofs

After speaking with Det. Rocco Klein outside the police station, the shadows of the buildings change size, and the position of Rodney's car is different in each of the three shots showing Ronald approaching the car and getting on.

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Quotes

Ronald 'Strike' Dunham: [In Rodney's car; Rodney gives him crap about abandoning his post to be questioned by Klein] Aw, man. Fuck you, Rodney.
Rodney: [silently pulls over to the shoulder] Excuse me?
[punches Strike in the stomach]
Rodney: Who the *fuck* are you talking to like that? Are you out of your motherfucking mind?
[pulls Strike down on his lap]
Rodney: Huh? You think I'm one of these crew-niggas sitting on the project?
[punches him again]
Rodney: BENCH, motherfucker!
[grabs a gun from the backseat and sticks it in his mouth]
Rodney: Open yo mouth, nigga...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Trigger Effect (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Illa Killa"
Written by Rasheed Ali Brown (as Rasheed Brown)
Performed by Strictly Difficult

User Reviews

Lee's most underrated film, without a doubt

It angers me how overlooked this film is.

It is not an easy film. It is bleak and at times very off-putting. Actually, if you are a thinking, caring person, this is movie is overall heart-breaking.

But it is brilliant and, for the person who truly tries to understand it, a compelling, insightful look at the problems killing black America today. The only reason for the film's lack of recognition I can imagine is that its subject matter had been examined a number of times before. But the inescapable fact is that this one of the best examinations of the subject matter there has been on screen - on par with "Boyz N The Hood".

And it is FAR from uncreative. In fact, on one level, it is not a "hood" movie, but a whodunit. The mystery aspect of the plot is very interesting. But there are other, more important layers. It is the story of the confusion and crisis of a young man's life. Most importantly, it is a brutal look at drugs, guns, and life in the projects. It is a movie asking why so many young black men are dying in the streets.

The lead character Strike has a stomach problem. It might be an ulcer or something like that. I believe it is a metaphor. Just as heat represented racial tension in Lee's masterpiece "Do The Right Thing", Strike's sickness represents the illnesses plaguing the ghetto: drugs, guns, liquor.

Like DTRT, this film looks at community. The mothers, the cops, the young people, the kids, the men trying to make a living - there is eloquent commentary in "Clockers" on the situations of all. In Spike's movies, paying a little attention is rewarding. A good essay could be written on what I call the Spike Summarization technique. This is when Spike compresses a serious debate or concern in the black community into a few expressive moments of action or dialogue. There are better examples in other movies, but it manifests in "Clockers" a few times. A bunch of kids are sitting in front of Rodney's (Delroy Lindo) shop; one of the kids is rapping while the others pay attention. The two sides to the coin: we feel the artistry and skill of the moment, the continuation of a rich tradition of oral art; we're also struck by the cruelty and coldness in the kid's violent lyrics, and we think about where that comes from.

Stylistically, this movie is a huge success. The cinematography is amazing, and I wonder what must be wrong with my tastes when I'm floored by a film like this and find visually bland a more oft-praised classic. The projects become blinding panoramas, landscapes which add tons of meaning to the poignant ending (I won't reveal it here). The sound is great; many films of this nature use hip hop in the soundtrack to produce certain effects, but "Clockers" does it in a more methodical way which jars some people, but contributes to the film's meaning.

I could say more about the film, but I encourage you to just see it, along with the rest of Spike's oeuvre. He's not a perfect filmmaker, and some of his best films are marred by elements that don't work, but I feel his consistency in terms of delivering brilliance is not below most of the cinema's most celebrated auteurs.