Themes: Inner City Blues, Drug Trade, Witnessing a Crime
Main Cast: Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, N'Bushe Wright, Ron Brice
Release Year: 1994
Country: US/FR
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A bright young African-American boy attempts to survive life in the city by acting as an errand boy for a drug dealer in this thoughtful, sharply plotted drama. Known as Fresh, the young man must use his delivery jobs to support himself and his troubled sister, receiving nothing from his distant, alcoholic father but the occasional chess lesson. His intelligence and quiet determination serve him well, as he wins the trust of his employer and settles into an unpleasant but survivable routine. Even this small comfort disappears, however, when Fresh accidentally witnesses the killing of a classmate and becomes a potential target himself. Forced into an impossible situation, he puts his experience and strategic ability to good use, developing a tricky plan to protect his own life and defeat the killers. First-time director Boaz Yakin emphasizes restraint and realism, presenting potentially sensationalistic material with a minimum of violence and flash. Instead, attention is placed on the strong, layered performances, particularly Sean Nelson as Fresh and Samuel L. Jackson as his embittered father. While some have questioned the film's treatment of inner city life, the film was generally acclaimed, thanks to its seriousness and complexity. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
Best known in Hollywood for penning a forgettable Dolph Lundgren vehicle (The Punisher) and a below-average Clint Eastwood film (The Rookie), Boaz Yakin made quite a leap in quality with his first directorial effort, Fresh. The independently produced film, which shared the Filmmakers' award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival with Clerks, was an original, highly-polished voice amidst the host of rambunctious urban crime dramas which sprang up after New Jack City and Boyz in the Hood. Fresh stands out thanks to Yakin's conscious effort to alter the conventions of the genre. Gone is the visual and sonic flashiness typically found in the other early 1990s urban dramas; instead there is more traditional cinematography from Adam Holender, who slickly captured New York's underworld in Midnight Cowboy and The Panic in Needle Park. The perfect match for Holender's detached, exacting photography is the coolly intelligent debut performance from Sean Nelson, in the role of the title character. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
Jean-Claude LaMarre - Jake; Cheryl Freeman - Aunt Frances; F. Murray Abraham - Chess Hustler (uncredited); Mateo Gomez - Mexican; Robert Jimenez - Salvador; Paul L.Q. Lee - Tommy Yee; Curtis L. McClarin - Darryl; Davenia McFadden - Mrs. Coleman; Cortez Nance, Jr. - Reggie; Joe Pentangelo - Transit Cop; Anthony Ruiz - Hector; Martin Shakar - Detective Abe Sharp; Anthony Thomas - Red; Yul Vázquez - Chillie; Lawrence Bender - Yuppie; Guillermo Diaz - Spike; Charles Malik Whitfield - Smokey; José Zuñiga - Lieutenant Perez; Matthew Faber - Long-Haired Teenager; Randy Ostrow - Mr. Cohen
Credit
Ellen Lutter - Costume Designer, J. Miller Tobin - First Assistant Director, Boaz Yakin - Director, Dorian Harris - Editor, Lila Cazes - Executive Producer, Stewart Copeland - Composer (Music Score), Dan Leigh - Production Designer, Adam Holender - Cinematographer, Lawrence Bender - Producer, Jean Cazes - Producer, Randy Ostrow - Producer, Al Griswold - Special Effects, Michael Barosky - Sound/Sound Designer, Boaz Yakin - Screenwriter, Mary Jane April - Second Assistant Director
