This movie did a lot for me and it is my hope that other new viewers will feel the same. The proof of the power of the film grabs you from the beginning with the simple musical texture of the film score by Stewart Copeland coupled with the piece by piece layering of the street scenery. It is unique and perfect, revealed as an even more appropriate detail to the movie as more of the plot themes are revealed. The main character in the movie, Fresh, is played by a really exceptional young actor, Sean Nelson, who manages to steal scenes from two of my other favorite actors, Samuel L. Jackson and Giancarlo Esposito. I am trying to remember the other movies that came out in 1994 and recall why one as powerful as this one would not receive much consideration for the Academy Awards that year. It was a good year for movies - Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption (7 nominations but no Oscars), Ed Wood, Hoop Dreams (received no nominations), and on a lesser scale Forrest Gump (which you'll recall received the majority of Oscars) - but regardless, 'Fresh' should have been recognized even amongst that competition. The sad truth realized from all this is that voting is usually conducted along "white" lines based upon publicity, demographics and exposure rather than upon "quality" lines.
Accusations have been thrown out there a number of times in the past and unfortunately the majority of those accusations are true. I used to deny the possibility for bias when movies like 'Amistad' received attention for not getting its share, but the difference there was that 'Amistad' was not a good movie and 'Fresh' was an exceptional movie. The two are united only by their "non-white" content and not by their level of quality.
Also a surprise for me is the background of the writer-director, Boaz Yakin. He is not African-American yet the dialogue of his characters holds an authenticity of the New York streets which is phenomenal. I understand his next movie concerns Orthodox Jewish characters, leading me to my final question - Who is this guy and where did he come from? No matter.
Accusations have been thrown out there a number of times in the past and unfortunately the majority of those accusations are true. I used to deny the possibility for bias when movies like 'Amistad' received attention for not getting its share, but the difference there was that 'Amistad' was not a good movie and 'Fresh' was an exceptional movie. The two are united only by their "non-white" content and not by their level of quality.
Also a surprise for me is the background of the writer-director, Boaz Yakin. He is not African-American yet the dialogue of his characters holds an authenticity of the New York streets which is phenomenal. I understand his next movie concerns Orthodox Jewish characters, leading me to my final question - Who is this guy and where did he come from? No matter.