Wesley Snipes lends his formidable presence to another gangster film, one which apparently wants to be the flip side of "New Jack City," with tragic Shakespearean overtones and a sense of self-importance that is, to say the least, overestimated.
"Sugar Hill" casts Snipes as a guilt-ridden, moralizing Harlem drug dealer who wants to get out of the business, which, of course, is easier for him to fantasize about than to actually do.The film begins with Snipes remembering - in black-and-white flashback form - the horrifying overdose death of his drug-addicted mother, which occurred right in front of her two sons . . . and which one of them was forced to assist. Later, Snipes similarly flashes back to the incident that led to his father's downward spiral and, ultimately, the vengeance that Snipes took on his father's enemies, which led him away from academic success and into a life of crime.
These scenes are artfully presented by Leon Ichaso ("Crossover Dreams") from the script by Barry Michael Cooper ("New Jack City"). But too often the filmmakers' worst instincts take over, as lengthy speeches precede each death and the film drags through cliched gangster-movie subplots.
While Snipes wants to get out (a la "The Godfather, Part III"), his brother (Michael Wright), who has an addiction problem of his own, is power-hungry. And when the Italian mobsters for whom they work (led by Abe Vigoda, of course) bring in a sadistic heavy hitter (Ernie Hudson, excellent in a change-of-pace role), Wright is ready to start a turf war.
Meanwhile, Snipes falls in love with a woman (Theresa Randle) who is not in his crime world and who tries to help him escape.
Far too derivative and contrived, the film's problems are many - and many of them could have been bolstered by simply tightening things up. If ever there was a flabby and actionless gangster movie, this is it.
Yet, "Sugar Hill's" most glaring fault lies in all the screen time devoted to demonstrating how drugs have destroyed Snipes' family while failing to adequately address the obvious question of how he justified selling the stuff in the first place.
The performances here are all quite good, with Snipes taking a low-key approach in an effort to lend dignity and strength to his character. But the show is easily stolen by the more flamboyant turns by Wright and Hudson, and special kudos are earned by Clarence Williams III (yes, the same guy who played Link in TV's "The Mod Squad") as Snipes and Wright's sad father.
Cooper brings some technical prowess to the proceedings, but his overuse of Terence Blanchard's score, in particular an intrusive jazz trumpet throughout the film, smacks of his having seen a few too many Spike Lee movies.
In the end, however, the real problem here is simply that there is no heart or soul - the film is as empty as the promises of Snipes' character.
"Sugar Hill" is rated R for considerable violence and drug abuse, with some profanity, vulgarity and sex.