Fresh

Critics Consensus

Well cast and sharply directed, Fresh serves as an attention-getting calling card for writer-director Boaz Yakin as well as a gripping urban drama.

87%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 39

92%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 8,036
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Movie Info

A bright young African-American boy attempts to survive life in the city by acting as an errand boy for a drug dealer in this thoughtful, sharply plotted drama. Known as Fresh, the young man must use his delivery jobs to support himself and his troubled sister, receiving nothing from his distant, alcoholic father but the occasional chess lesson. His intelligence and quiet determination serve him well, as he wins the trust of his employer and settles into an unpleasant but survivable routine. Even this small comfort disappears, however, when Fresh accidentally witnesses the killing of a classmate and becomes a potential target himself. Forced into an impossible situation, he puts his experience and strategic ability to good use, developing a tricky plan to protect his own life and defeat the killers. First-time director Boaz Yakin emphasizes restraint and realism, presenting potentially sensationalistic material with a minimum of violence and flash. Instead, attention is placed on the strong, layered performances, particularly Sean Nelson as Fresh and Samuel L. Jackson as his embittered father. While some have questioned the film's treatment of inner city life, the film was generally acclaimed, thanks to its seriousness and complexity.

Cast

Sean Nelson
as Fresh
Giancarlo Esposito
as Esteban
Samuel L. Jackson
as Sam
N'Bushe Wright
as Nicole
Ron Brice
as Corky
Jean-Claude La Marre
as Jake
Jean LaMarre
as Jake
Luis Lantigua
as Chuckie
Yul Vázquez
as Chillie
José Zúñiga
as Lt. Perez
Cheryl Freeman
as Aunt Frances
Anthony Thomas
as Red
Curtis L. McClarin
as Darryl
Charles Malik Whitfield
as Smokey
Victor González
as Herbie
Guillermo Díaz
as Spike
Robert Jimenez
as Salvador
Jerome Butler
as James
Davenia McFadden
as Mrs. Coleman
Cortez Nance Jr.
as Reggie
Matthew Faber
as Long-Haired Teenager
Anthony Ruiz
as Hector
Lawrence Bender
as Yuppie
Jacinto Taras Riddick
as Enriquez
Paul L.Q. Lee
as Tommy Yee
Afi McClendon
as Hilary
Mateo Gomez
as Mexican
Natima Bradley
as Rosie
Joe Pentangelo
as Transit Cop
Daiquan Smith
as Tarleak
Martin Shakar
as Detective Abe Sharp
Jason Rodriguez
as Nicholas
F. Murray Abraham
as Chess Hustler (uncredited)
Randy Ostrow
as Mr. Cohen
Mizan Ayers
as Curtis
Zakee Howze
as Mattie
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Critic Reviews for Fresh

All Critics (39) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (5)

  • Though well acted, and handsomely shot by veteran Adam Holender, Fresh sacrifices real emotion for thriller contrivances. It's a tourist's drive through inner-city hell.

    March 4, 2019 | Full Review…

    David Ansen

    Newsweek
    Top Critic

  • Glibly shocking, it would like you to think it deals with the hard realities of urban life, but in fact it uses its patina of social consciousness as a come-on for the most conventional kind of violent commercial filmmaking.

    April 21, 2015 | Full Review…

    Kenneth Turan

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic

  • Sean Nelson is a quiet revelation as the title character, a child who actively participates in what he regards as the only game in town, yet consistently demonstrates more caution and smarts than his friends or relatives.

    April 21, 2015 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    John Hartl

    Seattle Times
    Top Critic

  • The script by writer-director Boaz Yakin is fresh itself, marrying the physical violence of Fresh's world with the intellectual violence of competitive chess.

    April 21, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Gene Siskel

    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic

  • [Fresh is] made with a subtle precision that suggests a Vermeer landscape of the ninth circle of hell.

    April 21, 2015 | Full Review…

    Richard Corliss

    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic

  • This is kept alive largely through its first-rate performances, beginning with Sean Nelson's as the boy; Giancarlo Esposito is also a standout.

    April 21, 2015 | Full Review…

    Jonathan Rosenbaum

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (39)

Audience Reviews for Fresh

  • Feb 16, 2013
    Corky: Only reason you ain't the man is you still too goddamn little, but, when you get bigger, you gonna be the man. "Risking it all, he invents new rules... to beat the odds in a deadly game of survival." Fresh is a solid, ghetto drama about a young 12 year old boy who runs drugs to support himself, but loses out on any sort of a real childhood in the process. The movie isn't perfect, with moments of shaky writing and shakier acting by some, but for the most part it's well acted and well written. It's nothing necessarily new, with a ghetto crime backdrop, but the character of Fresh is a fresh and well rounded enough character to make us feel like we're watching this type of movie for the first time.  Fresh has a lot of problems, especially considering he is only eight years old. His mothers gone and we can only assume dead. His father is an alcoholic, who he only sees in the park to play chess. His sister has left his aunts house and is a dope fiend who shacks up with whatever dealer she can. He runs drugs for local dealers to make money so that one day he can escape the ghetto, but the question is will he be able to escape the violence of the job he does in time? Sean Nelson really is brilliant as Fresh. He exudes a maturity and adulthood presence into a character that is years beyond his age. The rest of the cast is nothing too special, but they aren't too bad, for the most part, either. Samuel L. Jackson is easily the biggest name in this and he has a small, but nonetheless important role as Fresh's absent and alcoholic father. Fresh could just be considered another urban drama about the life of the street, but it does manage to be better than that. It's a movie that's well worth a look and may possibly be one of the better movies of this type out there. If you're a fan of the genre, it's definitely a can't miss film.
    Melvin W Super Reviewer
  • Jun 26, 2011
    While this movie has its scenes (the chess matches), I think a lot of early '90s independent film got by with shock value and relentlessly profanity. This film is no different. Look, I don't give a shit about cussing and all, I mean this film is about a teenaged drug runner in NYC, but my point is - shock and profanity isn't a good cover for bad dialogue, it can't cover up the fact that some parts of this film were lazily-written.
    matt s Super Reviewer
  • Jan 13, 2010
    Interesting narcotics story simply because we have the 12 year old as the main pusher (no pun) of the plot. Sam Jackson is not shouting in this one.
    John B Super Reviewer
  • Oct 29, 2009
    I LOVED how the kid played everybody like a game of Chess
    Brody M Super Reviewer
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