From Nino Brown to Roemello Skuggs the two Wesley Snipes characters are only similar in their location, New York City, and their profession, drugs. In just about every other way they are different.

Roemello Skuggs has a drug dealing operation he runs with his brother Raynathan. It's a decent sized operation but nothing like a Tony Montana or even Nino Brown. But unlike the aforementioned drug lords, Roemello wants out. The question becomes how.

This movie is more a drama than a shoot 'em up, cops and robbers, turf war type movie. Roemello's simplified drug life (if that's possible),is complicated by 1.) a woman (Theresa Randle) 2.) another drug dealer (Ernie Hudson) and 3.) his desire to leave Harlem and the dope game.

The story plays out a little Spike Lee-ish. There's even a pervasive jazz tune playing throughout most of the movie much like Spike liked to do. The story was nice, acting also OK, it was just a little slow moving and Shakesperian tragedy for me.

This is an average gangster film, that's overlong and mediocre, with a rather dull story, the performances were very good though. All the characters are interesting, but not much else, and the story just wasn't able to keep me interested for it's over length in 120 minutes,however Wesley Snipes is simply amazing in this, he is the reason that made it bearable for me. I taped this on the Action movie channel, and I must say I was very disappointed after that extremely powerful and disturbing opening, it all goes downhill from there, plus the ending just didn't cut it for me as it was much too silly for my liking. It had a lot of potential however it just didn't reach it and Wesley has done a much better film like this (New Jack City),plus I didn't really care for any of the characters even if they were somewhat interesting. I would only recommend this to Wesley Snipes fans even then as I said rent New Jack City ,and it's decently made but terribly written, plus it's too depressing. This is an average gangster film, that's overlong and mediocre, with a rather dull story, the performances were very good though, worth a watch I suppose but not much more, you can do better. The Direction is OK. Leon Ichaso does an OK job here with decent camera work, good angles however the pace is terribly inconsistent. The Acting is actually very good and that's what it made it bearable even if I didn't like the characters. Wesley Snipes is amazing as always and is amazing here, he is the likable one out of the bunch as you will feel for him to try and lead a non drug related life, I really liked him!. Clarence Williams III is very good as the drug addicted father, I felt sorry for him. Theresa Randle is decent as the love interest and did what she had to do adequately. Michael Wright is very good as the brother, but I didn't care for his character at all. Rest of the cast are fine. Overall worth a watch I suppose but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it. ** out of 5

SH was one of those fine drug movies, like Deep Cover, Menace To Society, that were around, pretty much the same time. What sucks, is like Menace To Society, this one missed an S.A. cinema release. From the first frame, or credits, you can tell you're in for none other, a fine two hours film, and this is exactly what you get with good black actors you like. We have a wonderfully refreshing opening, where a black mother O.D's. She has two little boys, where she uses the older one to cook her up a fix. This makes quite an impact on him, as we cut to a later time. Now grown up, this man (Wright, the wilder, out of control one) and brother (Snipes) are in the drug business, working for the NY mafia, under their boss played beautifully by Abe Vigoda, a fine sculptured performance. Snipes has fallen in love, and now sees that the future in this business is short limited, so he best be smart and get out now, so we know what's to ensue. He tries to pull his brother out of it, but he wants no part. I really like the drawn characters, as we really understand, who they are, but more importantly, why they are, what they are, especially Wright's character, that all come full circle in that dinner family scene with KFC. Wright is an exceptionally talented black actor, who really carves out his characters, like no other of his race I've seen. He's a more pathetic type, here, and he plays it wonderfully real, while Snipes is very good, and Clarence Williams 111, what can I say? Just another fine performance. Randle as Snipes's love interest is really good, where she plays a budding actress: waitress, that joke really old now. She's the victim of a nasty rape scene, too, by another black guy, which added some venom to this engrossing film. The end is rather hard hitting, engaging, which as to Snipes's fate, a real blow. The whole anti drug film is engaging, and lovers of these film, and others, I recommend it to ya, if you haven't seen it.