ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

robert-macc Spike Lee is an example of one we need more of in Hollywood. He is a smart director. Let me start with direct pluses before I get into the juice of this movie. In one scene, where cops are interrogating the clockers in the beginning, the origin of "bro" is gotten right. A Norman (since "Thump" comes from Middle English which is Norman) named Thumper says "bro" in a rather warm way to Strike, and it's not saying it's the same as "brotha." Cause one of the cops who does say "brotha" is saying it in a derisive tone, while holding a suspect's chin very brutally. Yup "bro" is Italian slang according to this. Kudos to all three for getting it right :D Important, because we get to see the reaction by the black people (not many whites in this movie as, except for Klein who never says the word at all).Now, the important stuff. This movie is hard-hitting. It tells of the life of clockers (drug dealers who deal in the housing projects in Brooklyn). But most importantly there is a tone of misery and in some cases, suicide. You can really feel the hopelessness of some in this movie (Rodney for instance tells Strike, "Maybe you won't have to take it much longer," which shows he'll put him out of his misery or at least that's how it's implied). It's so hopeless, it makes me wanna cry. But Strike is a symbol of hope in the midst of a hopeless environment. And so is his bro, Victor. I'm a Rivera by the way :D. If you want something happy, skip this one. But if you can handle the hopelessness of this movie, give it a try. It's a good movie. However less dreary than most movies of this genre such as "Fresh" which is more darker. This movie is a human drama about the lives of young blacks and Hispanics (cause one of the drug dealers is Hispanic, and a "bro"-sayer :D ) who deal drugs because they have no fathers. It's a thoughtful story and Spike really put his time into it. Some moments will make you laugh (like the opening scene -- a funny argument about "rappers who are hard"); some will make you jump (it's something to do with Rodney and Strike) and the last 20 minutes will make you cry (including the credits). This was a tour-de-force. Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese are true masters of cinema. But believe me this is more depressing than "GoodFellas."

johndeckbose I'm glad that Spike Lee has apparently outgrown his need for polemics. Inside Man was a wonderful mature film that focused on character and motivation far beyond the Afro-centric purview of earlier Spike films. And while Clockers is perfectly serviceable for anyone coming to the story without having read the novel, I submit that Spike's attempt to refocus Richard Price's 1992 masterpiece as a singular black story, with a bone-throwing portrayal of white Detective Rocco Klein within an indictment of white police tactics, short-changes the audience of the profound respect, balance and humanity that made Price's novel so unforgettable.It is truly one of the five best novels I have ever read, while Spike managed to produce one of 1000 best movies I have ever seen.Read the book. It will stun, shock, amaze and delight you.The movie, on the other hand, might just keep you from falling asleep.

Terrell Howell (KnightsofNi11) Take a murder mystery story, mix it into a contemporary vulgar urban setting, then sprinkle some racial tension into the mix and you've got the highly intellectual and intense Spike Lee film Clockers. Clockers is about Strike, a young black man living in Brooklyn, dealing drugs for his ruthless drug lord Rodney Little. Strike deals drugs for the money, but all he really wants to do is hang out with his brothers in the park and play with model train sets. But things start to get rough when a night manager at a local fast food joint is murdered and Strike's brother Victor turns himself in. Det. Rocco Klein is the lead detective on the case and he doesn't buy Victor's story, which sets him on an obsessive hunt to unmask the truth behind this whole ordeal. The film is loaded with spirited yet vulgar dialouge, artistic and vibrant direction, and plenty of memorable characters. Clockers is witty, intelligent, and a lot of fun. It isn't your typical murder mystery or racial tension film. It is a beautiful blend of the two genres that turns into something very unique and very exciting.Spike Lee adds a lot of visual flair to this film and the way he directs it is something you can't quite pinpoint. The panoramic visual style is something you can't exactly describe in words and it is really something you have to see for yourself. There is something obviously unique going on in the way Lee directs this film, it is just difficult to articulate what exactly that is. But the visuals do work in a whole plethora of unique films, allowing the film to succeed on multiple levels. The film ranges from intense and gripping to quirky and fun. From one scene to the next the film grows more fun and more enthralling. Rarely do I care this much about what happens to the characters of a film and I'm not always so compelled to learn the motivations of the very well written characters of a film.All that being said I can't say that I loved the main character, Strike. The actor, Mekhi Phifer, wasn't great and the character himself had some odd moments. I eventually learned to like him and his character thankfully didn't deter too much from my liking of the film. Besides, a lot of the film actually focuses on Harvey Keitel's character and his unending search for the truth behind the murder. There are also numerous subplots that all end up being more interesting than the main character's story. It helps that this is just an all around well written film that is just smarter than your average crime film.Clockers is very different from any murder mystery crime film, as well as any racial tension film. But it provides plenty of great work on both sides of this spectrum. Spike Lee has created a visually interesting film with a fantastic story. The main character is the only low point of the film, but everything else is very good. Clockers is a very worthwhile watch for fans of Spike Lee or the multiple genres this film spans.

lylewins Let me say that I just finished the novel, and have only just watched the film.I try not to be one of those people who reads a book, watches the movie, and then tears the latter apart, but there are some significant issues that come to mind when considering this adaptation.1: There is just too much music and scoring.Thus the whole thing feels artificial, or like an after-school special come to life with ghetto undertones. I'm not quite sure why Spike Lee would have chosen this presentation, though perhaps it was to create an expected emotional bond with his audience that he felt was lacking due to the large ensemble cast, or maybe he didn't trust the performances of his actors. Regardless, the overall effect cheapens the drama and removes all the real life consequence the story and characters naturally possess (as written).2: The acting comes across as preachy.Consequently, the whole film seems like it trying to prove a point (and nothing else). On the one hand, it's saying to the kids growing up in the projects that, "This is no way to live. Let me show you how." And on the other, it's reaching out to the dominantly white congress, senate, electorate & bureaucracy, and trying to show these people the human cost of their ignorance, bad public policy making & flawed humanitarian ideals and voting.So the thing is, Richard Price's writing is excruciatingly realistic, and his novel, though not without its genre tropes, is equally exacting, and poignant.This film, however, feels like a very well-hearted effort to render the former, but that gets lost in way too much ideology.