Sugar Hill is an excellent,powerful and underrated Gangster Film/Crime Drama that is filled with great direction,amazing acting,a terrific script and a outstanding score. All of those elements make Sugar Hill a great and unforgettable film.
Set in Harlem,New York,Sugar Hill tells the story of Roemello Skuggs(Wesley Snipes),a ruthless drug dealer who supplies heroin and along with his older brother Raynathan Skuggs(Michael Wright)controls the drug game in Harlem with great success. But when Roemello meets and falls in love with a young woman named Melissa(Theresa Randle)and with bad things happening all around him Roemello decides that he wants out of the drug business but unfortunately for Roemello getting is easier said then done and will lead to tragic events.
Sugar Hill is a brilliant and amazing Crime Drama that I have enjoyed since seeing it on Home Video back in 1994 and while the film did decent business at the Box Office the movie was panned by critics and sadly isn't very known by movie goers and I can almost say is very obscure and forgotten and is a great movie that deserves an audience. Sugar Hill is a magnificent movie that not only works as a Gangster Film/Crime Drama but also works as a truly emotional experience that is dark and brooding as well as haunting and bleak with a sense of doom and tragedy that hangs over the film from beginning to end whether the movie is dealing with crime,drugs or family. And While there some moments that are very much trademarks of Gangster and Crime Dramas(a gangster wanting to getting out of the crime life,violence,death etc)Sugar Hill has characters and scenes of depth that make the movie better than the typical Gangster film because the way the story of Sugar Hill is told is almost like a story that William Shakespeare would have love to have written. Some viewers will probably be disappointed in Sugar Hill because of the lack of Action and thrills but that's one of the things I like about the film because Sugar Hill is not driven by Action but by the characters and who they are as people. The violence is brutal and harsh at times but it fits the dark tone of the picture and is not glamorized. The atmosphere in Sugar Hill is grim and downbeat but adds to the film because Sugar Hill is like watching a Jazz album or record on film where a song(or this case the movie)can be fast or slow but can have an impact on the viewer. We also get a look at Harlem in Sugar Hill showing that while Harlem is still a beautiful place a part of Harlem is destroyed by drugs and violence giving Harlem an ugly side that shows itself in it's darkness. The main character Roemello Skuggs is amazing and memorable because while Roemello is a Gangster and drug dealer he is a character that is three dimensional and has three sides to him one side is the ruthless drug dealer and business man,another side is a man who loves his family and cares about them and the one who is in love and wants and better life for himself. What we also see that Roemello is a sad man haunted by his past and is looking for a much better future but has to deal with not only rival drug dealers but also has to worry about his relationship with his older brother Raynathan which is like a Cain and Abel type story between the brothers. Jason's Lyric(also released in 1994)shares common themes and a Cain and Abel story with this movie. Roemello may not be a good person because of what he does for a living but is a great character we relate to his empathy and humanity. The screenplay by Barry Michael Cooper(who also co-wrote New Jack City in 1991)is terrific,gripping and is filled with scenes and dialog that keep you glued to the screen. The ending of Sugar Hill is amazing and powerful with a combination of tragedy and sense of hope that is bittersweet and fits with the rest of the movie. An outstanding ending.
The cast is wonderful. Wesley Snipes is excellent and at his best as Roemello Skuggs,with Snipes bringing intensity and emotional power to the role. Michael Wright is brilliant and fiery as Raynathan Skuggs,Roemello's older brother and has great scenes with Snipes. Clarance Williams III is terrific and unforgettable as A.R Skuggs,Roemello and Raynathan's Heroin addicted Father. Theresa Randle is great and beautiful as Melissa,Roemello's love interest. Abe Vigoda is sensational as Gus Molino,a Gangster that Roemello and Raynathan work for. Ernie Hudson is amazing as Lolly,Romello's rival drug dealer. Larry Joshua(Harry Molino),Donald Faison(Kymie),Vondie Curtis-Hall(Mark Doby),Khandi Alexander(Ella Skuggs)and Steve Harris(Googles)give good performances as well.
The direction by Leon Ichaso is amazing and stylish,with Ichaso bringing an atmosphere and visually stunning look to the film using Black and White photography and other colors to give the movie a unique style. Great direction,Ichaso.
The score by Terence Blanchard is brilliant,powerful,moody and haunting with a Jazz sound that matches the dark tone of the picture. Amazing score,Blanchard.
In final word,if you love Gangster films or Crime Dramas,I highly suggest you see Sugar Hill,an excellent and underrated film that you will never forget. Highly Recommended. 10/10.
Set in Harlem,New York,Sugar Hill tells the story of Roemello Skuggs(Wesley Snipes),a ruthless drug dealer who supplies heroin and along with his older brother Raynathan Skuggs(Michael Wright)controls the drug game in Harlem with great success. But when Roemello meets and falls in love with a young woman named Melissa(Theresa Randle)and with bad things happening all around him Roemello decides that he wants out of the drug business but unfortunately for Roemello getting is easier said then done and will lead to tragic events.
Sugar Hill is a brilliant and amazing Crime Drama that I have enjoyed since seeing it on Home Video back in 1994 and while the film did decent business at the Box Office the movie was panned by critics and sadly isn't very known by movie goers and I can almost say is very obscure and forgotten and is a great movie that deserves an audience. Sugar Hill is a magnificent movie that not only works as a Gangster Film/Crime Drama but also works as a truly emotional experience that is dark and brooding as well as haunting and bleak with a sense of doom and tragedy that hangs over the film from beginning to end whether the movie is dealing with crime,drugs or family. And While there some moments that are very much trademarks of Gangster and Crime Dramas(a gangster wanting to getting out of the crime life,violence,death etc)Sugar Hill has characters and scenes of depth that make the movie better than the typical Gangster film because the way the story of Sugar Hill is told is almost like a story that William Shakespeare would have love to have written. Some viewers will probably be disappointed in Sugar Hill because of the lack of Action and thrills but that's one of the things I like about the film because Sugar Hill is not driven by Action but by the characters and who they are as people. The violence is brutal and harsh at times but it fits the dark tone of the picture and is not glamorized. The atmosphere in Sugar Hill is grim and downbeat but adds to the film because Sugar Hill is like watching a Jazz album or record on film where a song(or this case the movie)can be fast or slow but can have an impact on the viewer. We also get a look at Harlem in Sugar Hill showing that while Harlem is still a beautiful place a part of Harlem is destroyed by drugs and violence giving Harlem an ugly side that shows itself in it's darkness. The main character Roemello Skuggs is amazing and memorable because while Roemello is a Gangster and drug dealer he is a character that is three dimensional and has three sides to him one side is the ruthless drug dealer and business man,another side is a man who loves his family and cares about them and the one who is in love and wants and better life for himself. What we also see that Roemello is a sad man haunted by his past and is looking for a much better future but has to deal with not only rival drug dealers but also has to worry about his relationship with his older brother Raynathan which is like a Cain and Abel type story between the brothers. Jason's Lyric(also released in 1994)shares common themes and a Cain and Abel story with this movie. Roemello may not be a good person because of what he does for a living but is a great character we relate to his empathy and humanity. The screenplay by Barry Michael Cooper(who also co-wrote New Jack City in 1991)is terrific,gripping and is filled with scenes and dialog that keep you glued to the screen. The ending of Sugar Hill is amazing and powerful with a combination of tragedy and sense of hope that is bittersweet and fits with the rest of the movie. An outstanding ending.
The cast is wonderful. Wesley Snipes is excellent and at his best as Roemello Skuggs,with Snipes bringing intensity and emotional power to the role. Michael Wright is brilliant and fiery as Raynathan Skuggs,Roemello's older brother and has great scenes with Snipes. Clarance Williams III is terrific and unforgettable as A.R Skuggs,Roemello and Raynathan's Heroin addicted Father. Theresa Randle is great and beautiful as Melissa,Roemello's love interest. Abe Vigoda is sensational as Gus Molino,a Gangster that Roemello and Raynathan work for. Ernie Hudson is amazing as Lolly,Romello's rival drug dealer. Larry Joshua(Harry Molino),Donald Faison(Kymie),Vondie Curtis-Hall(Mark Doby),Khandi Alexander(Ella Skuggs)and Steve Harris(Googles)give good performances as well.
The direction by Leon Ichaso is amazing and stylish,with Ichaso bringing an atmosphere and visually stunning look to the film using Black and White photography and other colors to give the movie a unique style. Great direction,Ichaso.
The score by Terence Blanchard is brilliant,powerful,moody and haunting with a Jazz sound that matches the dark tone of the picture. Amazing score,Blanchard.
In final word,if you love Gangster films or Crime Dramas,I highly suggest you see Sugar Hill,an excellent and underrated film that you will never forget. Highly Recommended. 10/10.