Fresh | | Cast : | Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson | | Director : | Boaz Yakin | | Studio : | Miramax | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | August 24, 1994 | | DVD Released Date : | March 02, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 29, 2005 | | Summary | Great use of foreshadow and actor skills and traits | Content
 | I was originally introduced to this movie in a random turn of the channel. I watched what was remaining and had to find the next time it was showing. I was impressed with the artistic work and accurate depictions of situations and character sets. I really know situations like this exist. I have crossed through them directly and indirectly myself and felt a connection and empathy for all the characters. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 10, 2005 | | Summary | This movie should have won some major awards | Content
| Fresh was one of the best movies to never win an oscar. Its not fair that such an intelligent movie should be swept up into the "hood" genre of movies that came tumbling out in the early 90's. The movie speaks for itself. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 26, 2005 | | Summary | A SAGA WHERE GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL !!!! | Content
| TO BOAZ YAZKIN, GREAT CHOICE OF CAST MEMBERS! RON BRICE, SAMUEL JACKSON & GIANCARLO ESPOSITO ARE 3 OF MY FAVORITE ACTORS... SO TO SEE THEM COLABORATE "I'LL SAY TO WHAT SO WE OWE
THIS HONOR?" THAT'S WHOA...WHAT A COMPELLING PERFORMANCE FROM SEAN NELSON HE'S A PRIME EXAMPLE OF "HOW THE YOUNG CAN TEACH THE
OLD"!!!! HE WAS A MAN IN A BOYS' BODY, LIVING IN A CONCRETE WORLD! AS CORKY/R.BRICE ELOQUENTLY SAID "FRESH 1 DAY YOU GONNA BE THE MAN, THE ONLY REASON YOU NOT IS BECAUSE YOU STILL TOO DAMN LITTLE BUT WHEN YOU GET BIGGER YOU GONNA BE THE MAN"!
I DESPISE THE FACT THAT "RON BRICE" KEEP GETTING SMALL-ASS ROLES TO PLAY! A MAN WITH HE'S ACTING ABILITIES SHOULD RECEIVE DENZEL WASHINGTON & MEL GINSON "RECOGNTION"!!!! RON BRICE HAS BEEN ACTING SINCE THE MID 80's (SO WHAT'S THE DEAL)? I WAS ELATED WHEN CORKY/R.BRICE BEAT JAKE'S ASS WITH THE CHAIN HE NEEDED THAT ASS-BEATING! I DEEM THAT MANY WOULD SAY THAT FRESH WAS A "RAT" 4 DROPPING DIME ON ESTEBAN/ESPOSITO... I GUESS FRESH HAD 2 DO WHAT HE HAD 2 DO? I'D RATHER ESTEBAN R.I.P WITH THE REST OF THEM. ESTEBANS' DRIVER WITH THE MISSING TOOTH WAS A PUSSY, HE SHOULD DIE SLOW!
CHUCKY FRESHS' SO-CALLED HOMEBOY WAS A DUMB-CONFUSED LITTLE SPICK! IF HE'D SHUT HIS' DAMN MOUTH, THEN HE WOULDN'T HAVE MET AN EARLY DEMISED! N'BUSHE WRIGHT/NIKKI WAS QUITE A CHARACTER AS WELL... EVEN AS A JUNKIE "SHE WAS A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH". ESTEBAN WAS MAD FOUL 4 FEEDING HER DRUGS ALL-DAY! BOAZ GOOD THINKING FOR HAVING FRESH GIVE ESTEBAN RATIONALE 4 KILLING THAT
BITCH JAMES NIKKI'S SO-CALLED popcorn pimp!
SAMUEL JACKSON IS THE MAN BUT NOT FOR FRESH... HE SHOULD'VE BEEN MORE THAN A CHESS PARTNER TO HIS SON FRESH (HOW ABOUT A RESPONSIBLE FATHER)!!!! THAT'S WHY FRESH GETS PROPS BECAUSE "HE
BECAME A MAN" WITHOUT EVER SEEING A MAN 1st". CORKY'S DRIVER WAS SUPPOSE 2 BE ON POINT, HE WAS IGNORANT FOR LETTING ESTEBAN'S MAN DEAD HIM! MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS BOAZ SHOULD CANCEL MAKING FRESH KILL HIS' PIT (THAT WAS DEAD WRONG)!!!! ** THE DIFFERENCE THAT FRESH MADE 4 HIS' FAMILY WAS MAJOR BUT HE WOULD'VE BEEN EVEN CLEVER HAD HE KEPT HALF OF THE $$ HE MADE! **WORK WELL DONE 2 BOAZ & THE CAST "SEE SOME GOOD CAN COME FROM THE HOOD & PEOPLE LIKE THAT ARE PRIME EXAMPLES OF THAT"!**
*1 LOVE* |
| Rating | | | Date | March 24, 2005 | | Summary | Your queen is just a pawn with some fancy moves... | Content
| Fresh is one of those movies that you never see coming. From the opening credits until the end, it provides you with this deep, gritty, yet utterly realistic portrayal of a youth's mind on the streets. While our normal society will shrug a struggling African American living in the ghetto as someone without the intelligence to go forward in life. It is a sad reality in which we live, but it is a thought that goes through suburbia's minds. This film proves the age-old saying that you should never judge a book by its cover. What begins as a normal urban drama quickly unfolds into this tightly woven crime story where we have this unexpected hero that arrives from nowhere to pull of this incredible feat. With perfect acting, the right combination of drama and action coupled with suspense, and a story that literally keeps you glued to your seat until the very end, it surprises me that more people haven't discovered this cinematic gem and attached themselves to it.
To begin, Sean Nelson is brilliant. I have not seen better acting from a young adult in my entire film life. Dakota Fanning comes close, but Nelson's emotion seems to be raw and uncreated by Hollywood. His reactions and passion behind his eyes is intense and compelling at the same time. You cannot watch this movie without keeping your eyes glued to this kid. I am very surprised that he has not done more roles that would be able to showcase this young protégé's talent. He interacts well with the other actors as well, giving us this rare glimpse into a world that many of us may not be familiar with. He takes us away from the clichéd child abandoned on the streets with nothing to loose and gives us faith in the family structure and bonds that are created between humans. Sometimes I think we forget this as we watch our televisions, buy our cars, and spend our money. There are important aspects in life, but at times our ideas of that can be skewed. That is what I love about Sean's role in this film. He defines himself early, and allows us to see his change clearly throughout the film. He begins as wanting to have a lot of money and power to using what he has earned to save his family and his friends. There is something redeemable about that which isn't shown as much in films today.
Add to the brilliant work of Sean Nelson are a couple of actors that really played well of the emotional child. Giancarlo Esposito, N'Bushe Wright, Jean-Claude La Marre, Ron Brice, and the unquenchable Sam Jackson are just a few. Nelson's ability to play off Jackson's intensity with the greatest of ease is just another glowing example of the power behind this film. You can honestly see where Fresh's talent began with the strong father/son dynamic that director Boaz Yakin has created. Yakin has crafted this beautiful story of a child's inner demons and desires with the greatest of ease. As a director, he has pulled more emotion out of these children than I have ever seen with any other child actors. Where he takes his story is bold and realistic. The dirtiness and grime of the streets contrasted with the intelligence of this child was nerve racking and intense. I loved it. Yakin had to be proud of himself to find such a great cast to work with as well as create this story that could be enjoyed by audience throughout the ages.
Finally, I would like to comment on one of the most important themes of this film that I didn't realize until closer to the end. Chess is a huge element in this film, and at first you will not see this, but by the end it will hit you like a brick. The power that Jackson brings to this young boy's mind simply by teaching him the strategies of chess is insurmountable. While I thought that Yakin was just trying to define the father/son relationship with this game, there was so much more going on underneath the top layer that I wasn't expecting it from this small title. I think that is what impressed me so much.
Overall, this film is great. It is boldly honest and originally beautiful (in repetition of myself) that needs to be re-released or remembered time after time. I am so glad that I discovered it and cannot wait to show it to friends and family. It is nothing short of the perfect film!
Grade: ***** out of ***** |
| Rating | | | Date | March 04, 2005 | | Summary | Yojimbo in the Projects | Content
| The best urban drama of the 90s. Newcomer Sean Nelson plays Fresh, a 12-year-old runner for a couple of local drug lords, who also happens to be a chess prodigy. When the girl he loves is killed by a thug, and his older sister is stalked by a heroin dealer, Fresh masterminds a brilliant, devious revenge. It sounds gimmicky, but the script is so intelligent, the direction so assured, the acting--especially by Giancarlo Esposito as the creepy-suave heroin king and Samuel L. Jackson as Fresh's Dad, a bitter wino who plays speed chess in the park for beer money--so riveting, that you believe every twist and turn in the story. In the dimwitted scripts of practically all Hollywood movies, the hero's "clever" plan is so full of holes it couldn't possibly work in real life. Here, for once, the hero's plan is ingenious and airtight. All it requires is lightning-quick thinking, shrewd judgment, and nerves of steel. But these are qualities the young Fresh has already demonstrated in abundance. We believe he can pull it off.
I've seen this film five times now and it doesn't get old. The only criticism I can make is that some of the kids' acting is a bit amateurish. But this is a small blemish on an otherwise great film. The last scene, when the steely Fresh breaks down after realizing what he's done and how he's changed, is shattering. |
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