Premiere
"...Yakin's astonishing first feature..." - Recommended 02/01/1995 p.91Rolling Stone
"...Powerful and moving....The acting by Esposito and Jackson is exceptional..." 09/08/1994 p.87 New York Times
"...An ultimately devastating panorama....Delicate and sympathetic work from both [Esposito and Jackson]..." 04/01/1994 p.C6 Entertainment Weekly
"...Shocking resonance....[Nelson is] a wondrous young actor..." -- Rating:B 09/16/1994 p.95 Los Angeles Times
"...[The film has] several effective acting performances, especially Sean Nelson's in the title role..." 08/31/1994 p.F1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...Here's a movie filled with drama and excitement, unfolding a plot of brilliant complexity....The movie is well constructed..." 08/31/1994 p.37 Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
Here's a movie filled with drama and excitement, unfolding a plot of brilliant complexity, in which the central character is solemn and silent, saying only what he has to say, revealing himself only strategically. Fresh is a 12-year-old boy who lives in Brooklyn. He is a runner for drug dealers. Because he is smart and honest, they respect him. Fresh lives with 11 other children in the spotless, orderly apartment of his aunt, who is a saint, he agrees, but who is helpless against the dangers that children face in the streets. Sometimes he sees his dad, an alcoholic who lives in a camper and supports himself by hustling chess games for cash. Sometimes he sees his sister, who has moved out of their aunt's apartment to live with a dealer. Her days pass in a sad haze of drugs... You may think, having seen an urban thriller or two, that you can guess how Fresh feels and sounds. You would be wrong. The soundtrack is not filled with loud, angry music. The plot is not manic, but focused and perceptive. Fresh, the central character, is played in an extraordinary performance by Sean Nelson, as a boy who sees and understands much, and keeps his own counsel. It is important that the film establish its world. We will need to understand it in order to appreciate the remarkable last act of this movie, in which Fresh pulls off a plan that is part scam and part revenge - an unforgiving retribution against the system that is destroying the lives of those he loves. The early scenes are fascinating. Fresh is doted on by the dealers (Giancarlo Esposito is engaging in his portrayal of Esteban). A great future is predicted for him. He doesn't use drugs himself, and his opinion of those who do is indifference laced with contempt - except in the case of his older sister (N'Bushe Wright), who makes his heart weep... Sudden, violent death is a fact of life in America today. Guns have made our cities unsafe for children. What Fresh does is bring a new perspective to those facts, in the form of both drama and thriller. This is not an action film, not a clever, superficial thriller, but a story of depth and power, in which the dangerous streets are seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old who reacts with the objectivity he has learned from chess, and the anger taught to him by his life. - Roger Ebert
Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 8 of 10
Disturbing, controversial chronicle of 12-year-old black youth who divides his time between school and his duties as a busy heroin courier. When he witnesses a playground killing, young Fresh (unforgettably played by Sean Nelson) must use his street smarts to fight for survival. An unflinching look at the urban narcotics nightmare; some may be disturbed by the ambivalent view of the bright young protagonist as drug dealer, victim, survivor, and hero. Impressive debut for writer-director Yakin. - Leonard Maltin
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