It’s Hard To Care About Characters In ‘Clockers’
Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running out for society as we’re being destroyed by drugs and street gangs. Or so “Clockers” would like us to think.
In his latest movie, Spike Lee has given us yet another fictionalized rendition of how America is going to mush with racism and hatred.
“Clockers” tells us the story of a streetside drug dealer, his supplier and a homicide detective determined to bring the dealer to justice. Strike (Mekhi Phifer) is the dealer who is pressured by his boss/supplier (Delroy Lindo) to kill a disloyal associate.
Before committing the dirty deed, Strike runs into his brother Victor (Isaiah Washington) and sees a way out. He tells Victor the bad dealer had been beating up a young girl. Infuriated by this story, Victor tells Strike “his man” will do the hit on the associate.
Enter Rocco Klein (Harvey Keitel). The homicide detective assigned to the case, Rocco is the stereotypical tough-guy cop. Despite Victor’s confession to the murder, Rocco sees another side. He suspects Strike.
There is one simple, glaring problem with this movie: There is virtually no character development. We never get a sense why Rocco becomes a cop, and we never see how Strike and Victor came out so differently from the same family. We’re also never shown any of the characters outside their professional element. Rocco is always on his case and Strike is always on the street.
Unfortunately for the actors involved, they may get a bad rap they don’t deserve just because of a weak script. Phifer is impressive and convincing all the way. Keitel comes off one dimensional, but does his one side with weathered expertise. Lindo is a little weak; he goes from a calm and collected guy who lets other guys commit crimes for him to a violent and revengeful thug with little or no explanation.
It’s impossible for me to come up with any sympathy for these characters. When a movie is based on a guy with inner problems, it distracts from the film if people don’t connect. It demolishes this one.
In ruthless attempts to shock its audience, “Clockers” is incessantly violent and graphic. Instead of shocking us, it comes across like a two-hour public service ad. It ends up doing more to desensitize its viewers to real life violence against real life people than it does to make us care.
I went into “Clockers” expecting a controversial movie with true-to-life implications; I thought I might leave a better person. Instead, I felt like I was being preached at, and not even that effectively.
Tick tock, tick tock. I left “Clockers” thinking, “Who cares?”
Grade: D