Review of New Jack City (1991) by Ol R — 28 Jul 2013

Far from flawless, the control over the narrative and pacing by first time director Mario Van Peebles is shaky at times, and the action sequences can be a little undercooked, but it's still a solid early 90s crime thriller, that ticks most of the boxes, with a couple of fantastic performances by Wesley Snipes and Ice-T.

Speaking of which, it's the early 90s atmosphere and film-making techniques that sell the movie for me. I'm not entirely sure why, but that whole era totally captivates me. The cinematography, the camera work and the action sequences have a distinct feel to them, that reminds me of other early 90s cult classics such as True Romance and Carlito's Way and as such, I couldn't give it less than 4 stars.