Clockers
Chad'z rating; ***1/2 (out of 4 = very good)
1995, R, 129 minutes [2 hours, 9 minutes]
[drama/crime]
starring: Mekhi Phiffer (Strike), Harvey Keitel (Detective Rocco Klien), Delroy Lindo (Rodney), John Turturro (Detective Larry Mazilli), Pee Wee Love (Tyrone), produced by Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Jon Kilik, written by Spike Lee, Richard Price (based on his novel), directed by Spike Lee.
I know a film is really successful when it makes me think and even scares me in a way. There have been many films about urban gang life (i.e. "Menace II Society," "Boyz-N-The Hood"), but "Clockers" is a different because not only is it a moving and realistic, but it also incorporates a fascinating crime story.
This story revolves around Strike (Phiffer), a small time drug dealer who hangs out with his friends in the local park, and are constantly harassed by the police. Surprisingly enough, Lee does not portray all the cops as racist and mean. These police are actually concerned about stopping crime rather than flexing their muscles.
Strike works closely with his supplier and boss of sorts, Rodney (Lindo), who claims the night manager at one of his competitors' stores harasses his "kids" and wants Strike to take care of him. Strike visits his older brother at a bar across the street from the store and tells him the problem. His brother says he can get someone to do it for him, but we never actually see who kills the manager. We assume that it is Strike, but was it really? This storytelling provides for a good sense of mystery, which is even more interesting considering the genre.
The story also focuses on two homicide detectives Rocco Klien and Larry Mazilli (Keitel and Turturro), and their investigation of the murder and of Strike and his associates. It seems as though the film could suddenly switch to being a straight crime story intead of a ghetto drama, but Lee and Price's uncanny script and Lee's great direction allows for a great balance of both.
We learn a lot about the life of Strike and where he comes from, which is reflective of the entire inner city society. Like most of his friends he had to do some drug dealing on the side in order to make enough money, because working a part time job won't help much. Strike also teaches his little brother Tyrone (Love) about how system "really works."
Klien and Mazilli somehow manage to get evidence on Rodney by plea bargining with amatuer criminals they cathc. The storytelling does not get too much into the legal aspects, but instead tries to show the situation as it really would happen. The cops bend and break the rules in order to get their way, but are not totally corrupt. Eventually the situation between Strike, Tyrone, Klien, and Rodney comes to a boil and even more blood is shed. It's difficult to explain, but it is not confusing to watch.
"Clockers" is a powerful film that makes you think about the characters, the settings, and their basis in reality. It is able to take a bleak story about life in the ghetto and turn it into something a little bit more commercial, but still good nevertheless.
e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com (C) 1997 Chad Polenz
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