Fresh (1994)

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Writer/Director: Boaz Yakin

Stars: Sean Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Giancarlo Esposito, N'Bushe Wright, Ron Brice, Jean-Claude La Marre



A very powerful film, tightly plotted, well-written, and wonderfully acted.

 


Fresh's (Sean Nelson) chess games with his father (Samuel Jackson), and the advice he receives therein, brilliantly foreshadow the moves he will later make in a real-life game of chess against the powerful drug dealers who control his neighborhood.

 


This one kept me guessing all the way to the end and is doubly impressive because it presents a plausible scenario in which a very intelligent twelve-year-old boy might overcome the odds against him. 



The last shot, a closeup of Fresh's face, is an example of a perfect final image because it reveals an aspect of character that I had not seen before (although I always knew it was there).














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