In my opinion, this Spike Lee "joint" is his best film ever. It is riveting from the beginning credits on. The credits show pictures taken by a young Brooklyn photographer of young black men killed by gunfire C an everyday occurrence in this city, as well as in many others across the country.

The actual movie is about a 20-year-old clocker (drug dealer) named Strike, who loves trains, chocolate milk, and sitting around with his boys all day. He is constantly harassed by white police officers. He is trying to go straight when Rodney, played by Delroy Lindo (an exceptional actor) convinces him to shoot a man that Rodney has a beef with.

When the murder is shown, the person who fires the gun is not shown, so you have a little mystery to solve. Was the shooter Strike or his brother Victor (who confesses to the crime)? The two policemen on the case, played by Harvey Keitel and John Turturro, have different opinions. Keitel is the one who works to uncover the real story. There is also a subplot concerning a 12-year-old boy named Tyrone who worships Strike. Strike works to keep Tyrone a good kid, but a tragic crime gets in the way. Mekhi Phifer (as Strike) in his film debut, does an excellent job. He conveys emotions from joy to despair better than many seasoned actors, and he makes his character seem very real C evil and innocent at the same time. My friend and I could not move from our seats when it was over. We were riveted. Everyone should see this movie to get insight on inner city life and to learn that even drug dealers have good, innocent qualities