Mario Van Peebles Reflects on the Legacy of ‘New Jack City’ for American Cinematheque’s 1990s Black Film Series
variety.comAngelique Jackson On March 8, 1991, Mario Van Peebles’ feature directorial debut “New Jack City” premiered at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood.
On Saturday, a little more than 30 years later, Van Peebles walked the red carpet outside the very same cinema — now renamed the Regency Village Theatre — for a special screening of his classic crime thriller, hosted by the American Cinematheque.Van Peebles was joined for the special event by “New Jack City” star Vanessa Estelle Williams, plus his children — Mandela and Makaylo, who joined their dad onstage to record his introduction to the movie, as well as Marley and Maya.As Van Peebles reflected on the full-circle moment, he called out one of the gangster movie’s most famous (and Bible-borrowed) lines, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” and the massive crowd yelled back, “Yes I am.” The call and response is a reference to the iconic scene where (spoiler alert) Harlem drug kingpin Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his Cash Money Brothers compatriot Gee Money’s (Allen Payne) rooftop confrontation comes to a tearful end.
The filmmaker also noted that “New Jack City” opened in theaters just four days after TV outlets released the footage of LAPD officers beating motorist Rodney King.“When this movie came out 31 years ago, there was a scuffle outside,” he explained. “So when the police showed up — and there was a huge line, that they’d never seen before like that in Westwood — there was some pushing and shoving and someone said, ‘Let’s get them back for Rodney King’ and a scuffle broke out.”The narrative on the news was that “New Jack City” was causing riots.
The L.A. Times headline read, “Rampage in Westwood,” as the paper reported on the melee that followed after theatergoers were.
Read more on variety.com
