I have no idea why this film wasn't nominated for an Oscar, and I especially have no idea why it's been seventeen years since the film was released and I'm just now seeing it. I've always been vaguely aware of it's existence as one of the 'other' Spike Lee films, but not much more. I certainly wasn't expecting to see some of his all-time best work, which it is.
This film should be mandatory viewing for every single high school in America, that's how important it is. Spike Lee paints a devastatingly realistic picture of inner-city life and the mortal perils that it's inhabitants face on a daily basis. There are no heroes, no angels, and no caricatures. It's all laid bare for the viewer to draw their own conclusion. Lee treats the audience with a level of respect and maturity that is almost unheard of in films that deal in such explosive and controversial subject matter. He trusts that the audience will understand the big picture and take away the appropriate lesson without being evangelized, and without resorting to the kind of cheap gimmickry and pandering that can often plague films of this genre.
Everyone should see this film. Literally everyone.
This film should be mandatory viewing for every single high school in America, that's how important it is. Spike Lee paints a devastatingly realistic picture of inner-city life and the mortal perils that it's inhabitants face on a daily basis. There are no heroes, no angels, and no caricatures. It's all laid bare for the viewer to draw their own conclusion. Lee treats the audience with a level of respect and maturity that is almost unheard of in films that deal in such explosive and controversial subject matter. He trusts that the audience will understand the big picture and take away the appropriate lesson without being evangelized, and without resorting to the kind of cheap gimmickry and pandering that can often plague films of this genre.
Everyone should see this film. Literally everyone.