Spike Lee directed and co-wrote the screenplay of this influential urban crime drama with Richard Price, based on Price’s 1992 novel. The film originally entered production with Martin Scorsese attached to direct. Scorsese eventually dropped out of production to focus on his passion project Casino, at which point Lee stepped in to direct and rewrite the script, although Scorsese remained a co-producer alongside Lee.
When the local drug kingpin (Delroy Lindo) tips Strike (Mekhi Phifer) off about an opportunity for advancement, a rival dealer ends up dead, and Strike suddenly finds himself caught between two homicide detectives. One is Mazilli (John Turturro), who's only looking for an easy bust. The other is Rocco (Harvey Keitel), who's looking for something much harder to find—the truth—and when Strike's law-abiding brother confesses to the murder, Rocco vows not to rest until he's sure the real shooter is behind bars.
Reviews
"Clockers is not a shriek of despair. Lee finds poetry and humor in all of his stories, and even in Strike’s ordeal there is a quietly human refrain." – Roger Ebert
Film Stills
