Clockers (1995)

Clockers concerns a young man named Strike who lives in the projects. Strike deals crack but doesn't ever do drugs himself. In fact, a horrible ulcer prevents him from even drinking anything heavier than a "Chocolate Moo" (the movie's version of a Yoo-Hoo). Strike is sent to kill a dealer that has been stealing from drug lord Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo). Strike's brother confesses to the deed and goes to prison. After that, Strike mostly just hangs around while his friends -- and the cops (played by Harvey Keitel and John Turturro) hassle him. Strike is played by a first timer named Mekhi Phifer, and he gives a fine performance. Unfortunately, it's the character and not the performance of Strike that is the major problem with Clockers.

But again, Spike Lee is a great filmmaker, and some of his individual scenes are played out so well that the movie never really gets boring. It's just that it never catches fire, either. There is enough good stuff in Clockers for me to recommend it, just on a "worth watching" level. For example, Clockers uses an interesting new cinematographer, Malik Hassan Sayeed, instead of the usual Ernest Dickerson. Several flashback and fantasy sequences are shot in a much harsher light than the rest of the film, while other sequences have characters glowing with a white light.

I know Spike has it in him to make another great one.