Juice

Juice adapts the DJ-struggling-to- make-it scenario to put across a mesage of inner-city hopelessness...the most interesting elements are the all too brief glimpses of family life and the boys' own relationships.

Poised halfway between the action conventions of New Jack City and the personal grit of Straight Out of Brooklyn, Juice doesn't have the pizzaz or the insight, to satisfy as either exploitation or art.

Dickerson and co-writer Gerard Brown exhibit a sharp ear for dialog and have some real finds in their largely unknown cast...

Stylishly shot, it works well as a thriller; the result is energetic and entertaining, without the feeling of difficult truths being forgotten.

Mr. Dickerson, whose cinematography has been the reason Spike Lee's films look so good, has a terrific eye and some juice of his own.

A Hitchcockian moment in an elevator is perhaps the film's signature set piece.

Juice is a solid film that met it's brief through with memorable performances. However, fleshing out the context in which motivated characters would have transcended the film.

Juice teases the potential to deeply explore serious themes but falls short. While promising, the abrupt shifts in character development, particularly Bishop's, leaves one emotionally disconnected. It misses some opportunities but remains a decent watch.

Juice is the most mature and provocative meditation on black street life to date. With Juice, Dickerson makes an impressive directorial debut.

...a rough-around-the-edges yet periodically spellbinding drama...