Poetic Justice (1993)

Directed by

John Singleton

Cast

Ogata Naoto, Koizumi Kyoko, Ito Kazue, Shimazaki Wakako, Ishibashi Tamotsu, Shinozuka Masaru, Takashima Reiko, Yano Takeshi

Genre

drama film, romance film, hood film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 49m

Rated

R

Rating

6.7 of 10 from 289 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young woman named Justice grieves her boyfriend who was killed by gun violence. She takes a road trip from South Los Angeles to Oakland with her friend and two postal workers, finding connection and healing along the way.

melancholicpoignantslow-burncontemplativetenderurbangrittyhopeful

What happens

Poetic Justice is a 1993 American romantic crime drama film written and directed by John Singleton. Its plot follows Justice, a poet (Janet Jackson) mourning the loss of her boyfriend Markell (Q-Tip) from gun violence, who goes on a road trip from South Los Angeles to Oakland in a mail truck, along with her friend Iesha (Regina King) and postal workers Lucky (Tupac Shakur) and Chicago (Joe Torry), in order to deal with depression. Following the success of his debut film, Boyz n the Hood, Singleton decided to make a film that would focus on young African-American women. Jada Pinkett, Lisa Bonet, Monica Calhoun and many other popular actresses auditioned for the role of Justice, though Singleton knew from the script's draft that the role was solely intended for Jackson. Filmed between April 11 and July 4, 1992, Poetic Justice was released in the United States on July 23, 1993 to mixed reviews from critics, who criticized the screenplay but praised Jackson's and Shakur's performances and chemistry. It topped the box office in its opening weekend, grossing $11,728,455, and eventually grossed a total of $27,515,786. Jackson received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Song for "Again", which also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as two MTV Movie Awards for her role in the film, including Most Desirable Female. The film has developed a cult following, especially for the chemistry between Jackson and Shakur. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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