03/29/06 Sucker Free City

Sucker Free City (2004), directed by Spike Lee

watched solo; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home

I'm a big fan of Spike Lee's work, although some of my good friends who shall remain nameless are not. He has slipped for sure with his overall work in later years, but he has remained true to his "finger-on-the-pulse" of American race issues in his context. You have to give him credit for portraying some areas of American culture perhaps more truthfully than a lot of Hollywood. Sometimes it does come across as over the top & shocking for intended effect I believe. That is true here for "Sucker Free City" as well. For those who don't know, Sucker Free is an initialized play off of the city of San Francisco, where the stories take place. It's an intertwining of three major characters, all representing different ethnicities, and class systems. The three men represent the melting pot of society, as well as the underbelly criminalism of a glamourous town. One man is part of a rough black gang, who's trying to in part advance in the ranks but also work his way out of the violent element. The next man is a white middle-classer who's family is forced to move to the hood, all the while working in a corporate setting where he works white collar crime of credit card theft into his repertoire. The last man is a bag man for the Chinese mafia who's working angles against his boss in order to prove his worth. All three represent groups that are fighting over sanctified turf of the streets, and somehow trying to coexist. A solid cast of virtual unknowns here, and a good Spike joint. Not his best, but good. I still think he should have included the feared Gay Mafia hitmen who must everyday battle for rights to the same said turf, and have the coolest wardrobe of any of them.

3 out of 5 stars