New Jack City 1991

Janet Maslin, New York Times: The film's use of once-imposing, now-crumbling New York architecture is particularly effective in underscoring the story with an air of widespread urban decay. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Though this often plays like a 70s cop show, it became a prototype for the bling-heavy gangsta melodramas of the 90s. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie was advertised (no doubt wisely) as a slam-bang action adventure, but in fact it's a serious, smart film with an impact that lingers after the lights go up. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: It's a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation, with Van Peebles piling on corruption and carnage for all he's worth. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: Filmmakers pull off a provocative, pulsating update on gangster pics with this action-laden epic about the rise and fall of an inner city crack dealer. Read more

Hal Hinson, Washington Post: Van Peebles wanted to tell this story; his heart is in it, and it's got a killer beat. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Mario Van Peebles's drugland feature, a relentless, hold-on-to-your-hat experience, rarely lets up. Read more