Juice
Juice
R | 17 January 1992 (USA)
Juice Trailers

Four Harlem friends -- Bishop, Q, Steel and Raheem -- dabble in petty crime, but they decide to go big by knocking off a convenience store. Bishop, the magnetic leader of the group, has the gun. But Q has different aspirations. He wants to be a DJ and happens to have a gig the night of the robbery. Unfortunately for him, Bishop isn't willing to take no for answer in a game where everything's for keeps.

Reviews
Dirtylogy

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

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pointyfilippa

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

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Sameer Callahan

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

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Erica Derrick

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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Irishchatter

I honestly didn't think Tupac at the end, turned into a bad guy like it really tricked you that he wouldn't be the villain but damn, he did it really really well! Too bad his character Bishop dropped dead but you know with bad guys, you do want them out of the way. Unfortunately in another 4 years time since this movie, 2pac will be shot with the guns. The shootout scenes really do make you a little sick because it does remind you of how 2Pac died. Seriously this movie was intense man, it really does show how poor black neighbourhoods are dangerous and not safe places to live in. To be honest, I honestly don't understand why people would go near the places, its just very intense. Good movie but very rough, 8/10!

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powermandan

I hate rap, hip/hop, pop, techno, dubstep...but Juice is set during the days when rap was taking off and there was actually some technique used and talent behind it. So this is one of the few cases where I did not mind there being rap music. 2Pac is one of the few rappers I like and he sets the screen ablaze. Juice follows four teenagers from Harlem: Q, Bishop, Raheem and Steel (Epps, Shakur, Kain, Hopkins) who try to get power and respect they call "juice." Q follows his dreams of becoming a successful scratch-n-mix deejay and deals with his love life, while Bishop tries more violent activities that break his friends and the streets where they live. After a heist gone wrong, Bishop slowly grows into an out of control madman. Epps as Q and 2Pac as Bishop are the main characters that were fantastic. Both are developed and carried out so well, both were Oscar-worthy. Especially 2Pac, whose portrayal of an inner-city psychopath was so original and so convincing, he really deserved an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor. It is one of the best acting performances I have ever seen. What I really like about this is that it is purely character driven. Those are the best movies to watch and the best things to read. In fact, this is almost Shakespearean-like. I could see making Juice into a Shakespearean play, with enough modifications to make it seem more sophisticated and complex.

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darkchaoschao

A movie about 4 childhood friends from a "'hood" in there late high school years. Basically one of the guys in the clique lusts for "juice", in other words, respect and power. He lusts for it so much, he does some pretty crazy things... things that make you really dislike the character. Tupac Shakur, he plays this role. He did a great job acting, played the character very, very well.This movie never had any bad, boring, plain or corny moments to it. Throughout the whole movie was full of substance.This movie might not be for everyone however... but if you like 'hood movies, then this is an easy rec. If you like any drama movies, this is an easy rec. If you just like comedy movies, then I wouldn't recommend this to you. But, being me, I love the urban hood drama movies... and this one was one of the best was I've seen, 10/10 stars.

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Steve Pulaski

Juice is yet another hood film that presents itself honestly and with a good sense of realism. It doesn't capitalize on anything but the reality and the dangers of growing up in a city lead by gun violence and senseless murders. In the mix of it all are four Harlem boys all portrayed effectively by Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine "Huggy" Hopkins, and Khalil Kain.The boys call themselves "The Wrecking Crew," and are trying to survive with what they have in a dangerous town. They spend most of their time at an arcade or a record shop when they cut school a little early, most of the time being harassed by the police or a gang in the process. One day, one of the boys named Bishop (Shakur) buys a gun, and convinces the other three members to come along in stickup. They rob the store, and from that moment on things go from bad to worse for the boys.There is a subplot involving another one of the gang's members nicknamed "Q" (Epps) who is an aspiring DJ, and has a big DJ competition the night of the planned robbery.Writer and Director Ernest R. Dickerson has worked as the cinematographer on various Spike Lee films, and this marks his very first shot behind the camera. While Juice is passable and well-made, it suffers by comparison with film's made by Lee like Do the Right Thing and School Daze. It also can be compared to Boyz N The Hood, another excellent hood film by John Singleton.I believe because of Spike Lee films and works of John Singleton is the reason why Juice has slipped through the cracks. It has a following, but because of strong critical acclaim surrounding the other pictures and this one just having mixed reviews is the reason why this isn't remembered as well as the other films.The moral of Juice is great about a psychological change one person can go through in a matter of time, the message about gun violence, and strong friendships being tested. However - this is taken in a more clichéd manner than any other hood film I've seen. We don't know a whole lot about the characters, and we don't know about they're raised. We don't get the parental backstory which is what Boyz N The Hood was cluttered with.I'm recommending Juice for its morals, its sense of realism, and its subject matter. However, the delivery is a little askew, and the four boys aren't developed as well as they could be. This is still one more realistic hood film that many should make time to see, but this film only reaches the level of average to decent while all of Singleton's films surpassed the above average mark.Starring: Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine "Huggy" Hopkins, Khalil Kain, Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by: Ernest R. Dickerson.

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