Movie: Juice (1992)

Reason: Cause whenever I’m random, I tend to come up with throwback movies which totally rule and this happens to be one of my faves!!!!!

HB Analysis: Juice stars 2Pac and Omar Epps along with Jermaine “Huggy” Hopkins and Khalil Kain as four troubled inner city youths who hang out frequently cutting school, listening to boom boxes and going up against a gang rival all for the quest of legacy. Who has the most JUICE??? If you’re into gang oriented movies with real good acting, then this is your type of flick. So sit back, relax and get the popcorn and beer or whatever the heck you have and watch this because it’s a freaking classic.

2Pac plays Bishop, who turns into the loose cannon becoming fascinated by the power of guns. Epps in his first signature role is the cool Q, who is a very talented dee jay whose goal is to win a contest. Hopkins plays Steel, who always carries his boom box blasting it as loud as possible. Then there’s Kain, who as Raheem is the ring leader.

We also see cameos from Samuel L. Jackson and Queen Latifah. Each has smaller roles. Jackson plays a pool hall owner who relays messages back and forth to Bishop and Q, who by the end wind up against each other due to Bishop’s power trip. Latifah is the Ruffhouse MC during the DJ competition Q reaches the finals in.

It starts off very innocently as they cut class and then chill in the park. There’s a hilarious scene where they scare a well dressed caucasian male by just playfully screaming at them and then watching the poor person almost knock into a tree.

The movie takes place near Riverside Drive in Harlem giving it a hometown appeal. As is the case with most urban gang movies, the language is street slang. It’s got that cool hip hop vibe. Naughty by Nature had the featured “Uptown Anthem” hit in this movie. If you’ve seen the video, they use scenes from it which realllly works.

The acting from a young Tupac and an 18 year-old Epps who were both in their debut roles is just off the charts. They were each fantastic playing off each other so well and making their characters very believable. While 2pac turns into the classic villain, Epps plays the smarter well schooled likeable character who you find yourself rooting for.

They clash because Q doesn’t agree with how far Bishop will go. During his DJ competition before the finals, they rob a local grocery store putting on masks with Bishop brandishing the gun. It’s at that point that for no reason, he shoots and murders the clerk who just wants them to leave. After he’s dead, they scram with the money and hide. The plot only thickens from there which sees Q drift further and further apart from a crazed Bishop who will do anything to get ahead. Even if it means killing his own kind.

There are some great lines between the two which only add to the movie’s street creed. One scene sees Bishop standing behind Q’s school locker and they have a great exchange:

Q: Bishop, you’re crazy!
Bishop: You know what? Last time you said that, I was kinda trippin’, right? But now, you’re right. I am crazy. And you know what else? I don’t give a fuck. I don’t give a fuck about you. I don’t give a fuck about Steel. I don’t give a *fuck* about Raheem, either. I don’t give a fuck about myself. Look, I ain’t shit. And you less of a man than me, so as soon as I figure you ain’t gon be shit, *pow*! So be it. You remember that, motherfucker. ‘Cause I’m the one you need to be looking out for… *partner*!

Definitely one of the best scenes of this action packed movie. I also really like the police scene where they’re interrogated about who murdered Raheem. That’s pretty intense!

I’ll try to get some videos up at some point. Just stay tuned.

HB Rating: Users on IMDB give it 6.5 stars out of 10. This movie got nominated for Best Film in 1993. I really dig it. So I’m giving it 8.0 out of 10.

If you like Boyz N’ Da Hood, you’ll love Juice.