Fresh (1994 film)
| Fresh | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Boaz Yakin |
| Produced by |
Lawrence Bender Randy Ostrow |
| Written by | Boaz Yakin |
| Starring |
Sean Nelson Giancarlo Esposito Samuel L. Jackson N'Bushe Wright |
| Music by | Stewart Copeland |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films, Lumiere Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,500,000 |
| Box office | $8,094,616 |
Fresh is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Boaz Yakin in his film directorial debut, also produced by Randy Oslow and Lawrence Bender (seen in a cameo appearance). It was scored by Stewart Copeland, a member of The Police.
Marketed as a hip hop 'hood film, Fresh went relatively unnoticed by the public, but won critical acclaim. An emotional coming of age story, it offers a realistic glimpse of the dangerous life in New York City's projects during the crack epidemic. "There's shocking resonance to the notion of a grade-school boy who's become a criminal out of sheer pragmatism," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman.
Michael, nicknamed Fresh (portrayed by Sean Nelson), is a 12-year-old kid running drugs for gangsters, notably Esteban (Giancarlo Esposito). Inspired by the chess lessons of his father, an alcoholic speed-chess master (Samuel L. Jackson), Fresh devises and executes a brilliant plan to extricate himself and his drug-addicted sister (N'Bushe Wright) from their hopeless lives.
12-year-old Michael a.k.a. "Fresh" stops at a latina woman's apartment to pick up dime bags of heroin before he goes to school. Fresh notices that she has given him the wrong amount and Fresh tries to warn her that his boss Esteban will be angry with the incorrect amount. He sees the track marks on her arm, indicating that she is a drug addict trying to swindle him out of his delivery. He leaves, disgusted.
Next, he visits another apartment where several women and one man, Herbie, are measuring and cutting bricks of heroin. Herbie insults Fresh and calls him a little boy doing a man's job. Herbie also makes crude comments about Fresh's sister, which angers Fresh. He rushes out because he is late to school. He meets up with another of Esteban's employees to count the drugs. The employee tells Fresh that Esteban wants to see him after handing Fresh his share of the money.
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