Review of Clockers (1995) by Anthony R — 26 Jun 2007

Director Spike Lee's powerful and unflinching urban drama detailing the life of Strike, a "clocker" who deals drugs 24/7, and the cops who investigate him following a senseless street murder.

Mekhi Phifer shines as Strike, making every facet of his characters ordeal vividly real, and Harvey Keitel is excellent as a driven, honest detective determined to bring whatever shred of justice is left in the lives of a communtiy left helpless to the vicious cycle of urban violence.

Lee does justice to author (and co-screenwriter) Richard Price's novel by never shying away from the brutality of the storyline;the opening sequence in particular, a silde show of chilling images showing the corpses of Black mem and women killed in the streets, is devastating.

But the surprise here is the humanity, compassion, and even the humor that marks the characters at every turn, even that of Rodney, played memorably by Delroy Lindo as a wolf in sheep's clothing who still somehow find's the motivation to care for his boys, and frightening them just as quick.

This three-dimensional approach to his characters,to this story, and to his haunting message of the power of a people willing to turn the tide to the side of life is what makes this movie unforgettable and unmissable.