Ernest R Dickerson 1992 USA
Starring: Tupac Shakur, Omar Epps, Khalil Khan, Jermaine ‘Huggy’ Hopkins, Samuel L Jackson, Cindy Herron, Queen Latifah, Dr Dre, Fab 5 Freddie
I may be crazy (in fact there's little doubt) but I'm starting to think that Tupac Shakur was really a rather talented actor. Following on from last week's viewing of Gridlock'd, in which he was pretty much the only saving grace, comes a stunning earlier performance from a time when he was barely an adult. And, as was the case in that film, he's the best part of Juice, his psychotic, trigger-happy teen Bishop fearless and immovable even when he's got a flick-knife stuck up his nostril. When he confronts leading man Q, played competently if with little fire by Omar Epps, and emphatically admits that he's crazy you absolutely believe him. It's startling somehow to think that he was capable of such intensity particularly as the film itself is ultimately disappointing, starting out as it does as a dumb, badly-acted comedy complete with fat jokes and gaudily-coloured parachute pants before plunging you into a tense and realistic morality play with grimy cinematography and no real ending. Indeed, despite its relatively short running time, it sort of just stops. And of course the usual references are there with Bishop eagerly watching White Heat and quoting Scarface. Samuel L Jackson appears a couple of times as store owner Trip but is criminally underused; honestly it wouldn't make much difference if his character never existed. Also in similar roles are Dr Dre, Ed Lover, Fab Five Freddie, Treach, EPMD, Special Ed and Queen Latifah, the latter of whom at least injects her role with some swagger. That being said, it has made for a fucking corking soundtrack. I'm glad I've found out how good Tupac could be and I'm definitely going to be watching more of his work in the future but Christ the directors aren't making it easy for me.
RAPPERS IN FILM
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