Four inner-city teenagers get caught up in the pursuit of power and happiness, which they refer to as “the juice”.
Remastered in 4K Blu-ray for its 30th Anniversary, Ernest R. Dickerson’s “Juice” looks wonderful on screen. Premiering in 1992, the film marked Tupac Shakur’s acting debut along with the talented rapper’s versatility. Shakur secured the role after joining a friend to an audition and impressed the casting agents with his reading. Dickerson, a longtime cinematographer for Spike Lee, stepped into the director’s chair for his debut feature. Filmed in Harlem during the Spring of 1991, the tale centered on four urban youths caught between machismo, systemic issues, and cyclical violence, still resonates after all these years.
High schooler Quincy (Omar Epps) spends hours in his bedroom perfecting mixtapes in the hopes of becoming a popular DJ. When he’s not spinning records, Quincy cuts class with his friends: the unpredictable Bishop (Tupac Shakur), the ladies’ man Raheem (Khalil Kain), and goofball Steel (Jermaine Hopkins). Everyone is wearing bucket hats, overalls, Carhart, and other accessories that are currently trendy in 2022.
The four spend time hanging out at their local arcade, talking about sex, and which local crew has the most power or “juice”. At home, Bishop has a loving grandmother and a catatonic father who sits in front of the TV, unable to communicate with his son. Full of hostility, Bishop has multiple run-ins with local hoodlum Radames (Vincent Laresca). These interactions reveal more of Bishop’s backstory and set the stage for a violent confrontation between the rivals. When Quincy has his eyes set on an upcoming DJ contest, his friends hatch a plan to rob their local bodega. Of course, these best-laid plans fall apart, and the four young men’s lives are forever changed.
While the screenplay needed more character development, it has a unique genre shift midway through. Written by Dickerson and Gerard Brown, “Juice” begins as a straightforward drama before turning into a horror film about gun violence. Unfortunately, at times, the antiquated soundtrack and other period details soften the film’s impact. But Shakur and Epps’ acting really holds everything together. Shakur in particular showcased his range during two scenes: When Bishop reenacts James Cagney while watching “White Heat” and his iconic moment telling Quincy “I don’t give a fuck.” Dickerson never went on to make a great film, but he has directed a lot of great TV episodes. And while the final act between Bishop and Quincy goes on for too long, who can forget that final line spoken to the latter?
Now available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever
