‘New Jack City’ With Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Logan Murdock
March 9, 2021 · New Jack City (1991) · Action · Crime · Drama · 1:48:49 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill Simmons▶ 29:31The Chris Rock bike chase scene with Ice-T chasing him on the bike over the steps
Bill Simmons▶ 29:58The first scene with Nino, G Money, and the stuttering guy (Radio Raheem) in the Jeep Wrangler
What's Aged the Worst
Bill Simmons▶ 53:49Agrees crack/the choice to center the film on it was a bad call, plus using little girls as a human bullet shield
Logan Murdock▶ 51:32The glorification/depiction of crack, plus Ice-T's bad wig, and the use of women as pawns in Nino Brown's story (e.g., parading a woman to confront G-Money) as unnecessary
Van Lathan▶ 51:59Crack and the drug war itself — the movie acts as pro-drug-war propaganda, framing it as a winnable, good-vs-bad war, which doesn't hold up statistically or morally
Casting What-Ifs
Bill Simmons▶ 55:38Ran through several casting what-ifs: Martin Lawrence was cast as Pookie before dropping out due to grief over mentor Robin Harris's death, leading to Chris Rock; Michael Wright turned down Ice-T's role; Vivica A. Fox auditioned for Selena and Keisha but didn't get either; Orange Juice Jones was originally cast as G-Money and filmed scenes before being replaced by Allen Payne; Tupac Shakur auditioned for G-Money but was deemed too young next to Wesley Snipes. Simmons argues they should have cast Tupac anyway, tweaking the script to make him Nino's friend's younger brother/up-and-comer.
Logan Murdock▶ 55:41Agreed Martin Lawrence would've been amazing as Pookie, possibly better than Chris Rock; agreed Michael Wright would've killed Ice-T's part; thought Vivica A. Fox would've been great as Keisha; suggested Vanessa Williams (Rick Fox's wife) would've made a great girlfriend for Nino; said he'd rather see Tupac as Nino than G-Money, feeling Tupac was too young for G-Money.
Van Lathan▶ 58:01Noted Vivica A. Fox became 'super cooking hot' by mid-90s and thrived in similar roles like Set It Off; recalled Orange Juice Jones from the 'Walking in the Rain' song/video; mused on Tupac's potential as G-Money, highlighting his rare ability to be both aggressive and vulnerable on screen (citing Above the Rim), though unsure if he'd have been better than Allen Payne.
Joey Pants Award
Bill Simmons▶ 59:50Bill Nunn (Radio Raheem/He Got Game), also mentions the police sergeant who shoots Nino, and Tracy Camilla Johns as a one-person category pick
Logan Murdock▶ 1:00:04Agrees Bill Nunn qualifies as 'that guy'; also nominates the uncredited woman from Pookie's drug rehab meeting scene (later identified as Bill Cobbs, though actually referring to a different actress)
Van Lathan▶ 1:01:31Bill Nunn as 'that guy plus' (supersized that guy) due to his extensive Spike Lee filmography and Spider-Man cameos; also identifies Bill Cobbs as a 'that guy' who plays the same age for 15+ years
Picking Nits
Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:44Questions whether they could've done better than Ice-T given his all-over-the-map acting, but still enjoys him in the role; also picks Tracy Camilla Johns' mysterious 21-year IMDb gap as a nitpick/curiosity
Logan Murdock▶ 1:09:04Nitpicks that Pookie (Judd Nelson's character) is basically a Dion Waiters Award candidate for being in the movie too much
Van Lathan▶ 1:04:55Ice-T's performance is 'perfect' but not 'great'; also extensively nitpicks the unresolved mystery of what happened to Tracy Camilla Johns' career for 21 years
Dion Waiters Award
Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:13Rejected Pookie as a candidate, saying his role is too big of a part to qualify
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:21Shared two facts: Chris Rock claimed on Inside the Actor's Studio (1994) that drug dealers put crack/cocaine in his pockets for years after his role, joking it was a documentary; and the film premiered at Sundance in January 1991, only the festival's second year (after Sex, Lies, and Videotape).
Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:06Writer Barry Michael Cooper said they intentionally gave the film a comic-book visual style, including making Nino's mansion look like Dracula's lair to suggest he was like a vampire sucking the blood out of his neighborhood.
Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:03Argues Wesley Snipes belongs on Apex Mountain for this film, since its success and cultural relevance opened doors for every later opportunity in his career.
Logan Murdock▶ 1:11:50Nino Brown's name reportedly originated from a storefront called 'Nino Gabriel' on 3rd Avenue in New York (a shoe store Harlem gangsters frequented), as referenced by writer Barry Michael Cooper.
Van Lathan▶ 1:13:33Favorite hip hop/pop culture influence in the film: Guy/Aaron Hall's presence, tying into the New Jack Swing era and how films/music used to create monoculture before the internet fragmented it.
Van Lathan▶ 1:16:30Says Snipes has had bigger moments since, but this is likely his signature performance.
Apex Mountain
Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:10Wesley Snipes: Yes, this is his apex - movie opened doors and made him culturally relevant. Allen Payne: Yes, this was his signature despite long career. Ice-T: No (not apex). Human Bullet Shields: Yes. Mario Van Peebles: 100% his apex mountain as director - nothing in his career before hinted at it. Color Me Bad: No, because of the 90210 episode and their #1 record being bigger. Chris Rock: Yes, this is the best he's ever been in a movie, better than Top Five.
Logan Murdock▶ 1:17:11New Jack Swing (the genre) as Apex Mountain for this moment/movie. Also raises whether this is Apex Mountain for Guy (concludes no, gets pushback), and suggests Head of State could be Chris Rock's apex as a precursor to Obama. Also questions whether this is apex for Zoot Suits (unresolved) and Mario Van Peebles (agrees with Bill, also noting his father's role in blaxploitation).
Van Lathan▶ 1:16:30Wesley Snipes: Agrees, calls it his signature performance despite bigger moments elsewhere. Allen Payne: No, cites Jason's Lyric and The Perfect Storm as other notable work but agrees this was his biggest deal. Ice-T: Debates between this and Heat/The Dead Zone but concedes this is more recognizable. Guy (the group): No, cameo can't be their apex mountain, citing Fantasy/Let's Chill as bigger. Chris Rock: Agrees this is his most recognizable role despite other work like Head of State.
Best Quote
Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:32Cites multiple quotes: 'My brother, it's always business, it's never personal.' / 'Sit your $5 ass down before I make change.' / 'You got to rob to get rich in the Reagan era.'
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:10Notes it's odd that The Wire came only 12 years after New Jack City despite feeling like a totally different cinematic era; doesn't commit to an influence verdict.
Bill Simmons▶ 1:32:16Unanswerable question: 'What the fuck is Judd Nelson doing in this movie?' — introduces new 'Judd Nelson Award' category for actors who seem to be in a different movie than everyone else.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:32:43Calls Nick Peretti one of the all-time great 'jarhead cops going over the edge,' essentially John Bender from The Breakfast Club as a narc, and says as a kid he thought this was 'Apex Mountain' for undercover cop performances (better than Pacino in Serpico).
Chris Ryan▶ 1:36:44Speculates on Nick Peretti's backstory: probably divorced or recently out of a long-term relationship with a high school sweetheart, living in an industrial, pre-gentrified part of Brooklyn (like Sunset Park) in a 'cold water apartment with the toilet in the kitchen.'
Logan Murdock▶ 1:31:22Argues it's unfair to compare Pookie and Bubbles since Bubbles had many seasons of screen time to build attachment while Pookie only had a short film window.
Logan Murdock▶ 1:34:29Finds Peretti's character confusing/inconsistent — a 'weird racist ally' who mocks Black culture yet kills for Scotty at the end, questioning why the racism was even necessary.
Van Lathan▶ 1:28:44Thinks The Wire wasn't directly influenced by New Jack City but shares 'collective DNA' since both reflect real-life gangs controlling entire housing projects; Burns/Simon's real police/journalism backgrounds mattered more than the movie itself.
Van Lathan▶ 1:30:42Adds Erica Christensen's character from Traffic as being on the same heartbreaking tier as Pookie (though Bubbles is still the 'Tony Stark of drug addicts').
Van Lathan▶ 1:35:31Speculates Nick Peretti's character/lines (like the 'death doesn't give a shit about color' speech) may have been added in reshoots since his arc doesn't connect to the main story.
Who Won the Movie
Van Lathan▶ 1:44:22Agrees Wesley Snipes won due to a 'tour de force performance', though considered Chris Rock as a maybe
Movies Referenced (31)
Scarface (1983)
23 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Logan Murdock▶ 2:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Blade (1998)
4 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock, Bill Simmons▶ 17:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Directors Referenced (6)
Andrea Bias
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Black Adam, A Simple Favor, The Intern▶ 7:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗
François Truffaut
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Day for Night, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The 400 Blows▶ 19:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗
John Colorado
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Hancock▶ 43:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Warren Beatty
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Reds, Heaven Can Wait▶ 17:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Actors Referenced (52)
Jack Palance
40 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan · Known for City Slickers, Contempt▶ 1:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Wesley Snipes
30 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for Blade, New Jack City, Demolition Man▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Judd Nelson
19 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Chris Rock
17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for Top Five, The Longest Yard, Head of State▶ 15:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Mario Van Peebles
10 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock, Bill Simmons · Known for Heartbreak Ridge, Jaws: The Revenge▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Vanessa Williams
6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Logan Murdock, Van Lathan · Known for Shaft▶ 56:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Flavor Flav
4 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for End of Watch, Three Kings, Friday Night Lights▶ 44:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Kente Scott
4 mentions · Logan Murdock · Known for Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, She's All That▶ 47:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Tracy Camilla Johns
4 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons · Known for She's Gotta Have It, New Jack City▶ 48:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Aaron Hall
3 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Juice, Boomerang, Alpha Dog▶ 1:14:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Eddie Murphy
3 mentions · Logan Murdock, Van Lathan · Known for Harlem Nights, The Nutty Professor, Beverly Hills Cop II▶ 1:09:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Writers Referenced (8)
Barry Michael Cooper
4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Logan Murdock · Known for New Jack City▶ 19:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Andrew Cosby
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for 2 Guns▶ 7:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Thomas Lee Wright
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for New Jack City▶ 19:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Walter Mosley
1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Devil in a Blue Dress▶ 1:02:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗
William Faulkner
1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep▶ 1:34:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
Bet Rourich
2 mentions · Logan Murdock · Known for A Monster Calls▶ 5:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗