Fresh (1994)

Death and violence anger a twelve-year-old drug courier, who sets his employers against each other.

Director:

Boaz Yakin

Writer:

Boaz Yakin

Stars:

Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Nelson	...	Fresh
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Esteban
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Sam
N'Bushe Wright	...	Nichole
Ron Brice	...	Corky
Jean-Claude La Marre	...	Jake (as Jean LaMarre)
José Zúñiga	...	Lt. Perez
Luis Lantigua	...	Chuckie
Yul Vazquez	...	Chillie
Cheryl Freeman	...	Aunt Frances
Anthony Thomas	...	Red
Curtis McClarin	...	Darryl (as Curtis L. McClarin)
Charles Malik Whitfield	...	Smokey
Víctor González	...	Herbie
Guillermo Díaz	...	Spike

Storyline

Fresh (Sean Nelson) is a 12-year-old drug dealer who finds himself trapped in a web of poverty, corruption and racial tension in Brooklyn, New York. When his drug-addict sister Nichole (N'Bushe Wright) starts sleeping with local drug lord Esteban (Giancarlo Esposito), Fresh calls upon the skills he learned playing chess with his alcoholic father and speed-chess champion Sam (Samuel L. Jackson) and devises a complex strategy that will free both himself and his sister.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | urban setting | african american | drug dealing | drug lord | 

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Taglines:

In a world where criminals make the rules an innocent boy is out to beat them at their own game.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for intense, realistic depiction of urban violence, and for drug content, pervasive language, and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

2 September 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kint az utcán

Filming Locations:

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$8,094,616

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lumière Pictures, Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was #6 on Roger Ebert's list of the Best Films of 1994.

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Goofs

In the final scene at the park, the same blonde girl walks behind Fresh twice (the first time just as he makes it to the chess table, then again once he has sat down; by then the girl, walking at an uninterrupted pace, should've been out of the shot).

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Quotes

James: [to Fresh] You the little man running the street? Shit... Next thing I know niggers in diapers packing tec-9 and be trying to take over my business.

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Connections

References The Terminator (1984)

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Soundtracks

Ah-Vah
Written by Aida Periera
Published by Full Keel Music Co. (ASCAP)
Performed by Tito Punete Orchestra
Courtesy of GNP Crescendo Records Co., Inc.

User Reviews

The very, very best of modern drama

This is simply an incredible film. Deeply thought provoking, it is not for those of you who like your films to have guns, sex and violence. This is NOT a typical 'hood' film - there are no banging hiphop beats, no flash cars, and no cheesy action scenes.

It tells the story of a clever 12 year old brought up in a culture of danger, mistrust and urban decay. Sean Nelson displays a maturity which would guarantee any adult actor many millions a film, and the film never wavers from the incredibly high standards set by its fabulous scripting and casting.

The storyline is oddly compelling throughout, and never veers either towards the 'nannying' line that plagues so many drugs films, or the insane satire that kills off others. It moves at a healthy, but not crazy pace, and there are some truly chilling moments, which really make you ponder over humanity's capacity for mindless violence.

This is certainly the best film I have ever had the pleasure of seeing, and I advise anyone who craves intelligent, thoughtful films to go out and buy this one.