Fresh

R

1994

1 hr. 52 min.

Drama

List

88%

41 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Fresh (Sean Nelson) is a 12-year-old drug dealer who finds himself trapped in a web of poverty, corruption and racial tension in Brooklyn, New York. When his drug-addict sister Nichole (N'Bushe Wright) starts sleeping with local drug lord Esteban (Giancarlo Esposito), Fresh calls upon the skills he learned playing chess with his alcoholic father and speed-chess champion Sam (Samuel L. Jackson) and devises a complex strategy that will free both himself and his sister.

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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.

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Ronald R

Good Movie!! Recommended!!🍿🎥🍿

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/24

Full Review

TJ L

instant Classic, a Beyond Authentic Portrayal of being a Poor New York City Kid trying to Get Out of the Ghetto Projects by any means Necessary, Fresh is a Realistic inspiration for other 12 year Old's that Run Drug's for Drug Dealers

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/22/23

Full Review

Leticia q

88 about 90 uhhhhhhh

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/18/23

Full Review

Timothy B

Awesome movie on many levels. Love the last scene: after he executes the plan to the very end to save his sister and himself, he breaks down in front of his father, who can't hide his shame for falling short of what his son needed. One of many excellent scenes in a well thought out, symbolic, and powerful movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/24/23

Full Review

Daniel

Amazing story — metaphor galore. Samuel L is limited role in this — but he's magnificent

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A dark gritty portrayal of early 90s new york thru the eyes of a child mixes up in it all...a great drama and I found myself caring about fresh towards the end

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Boaz Yakin

Director

Sean Nelson

Fresh

Giancarlo Esposito

Esteban

Samuel L. Jackson

Sam

N'Bushe Wright

Nichole

Ron Brice

Corky

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David Ansen

Newsweek

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.

Mar 4, 2019

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

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.

Apr 21, 2015

Full Review

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

The strength of the piece is that it realises which aspects of its genre have been seen too many times, always coming back to Nelson's blank but expressive stare as he watches terrible things the director doesn't need to shove in our faces.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 21, 2015

Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Surely not for the squeamish, this film will send you away with scars of your own.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 25, 2022

Full Review

Deborah Hornblow

Hartford Courant

Screenwriter Boaz Yakin makes a stunning directorial debut with "Fresh," the gripping, finely acted tale of a 12- year-old's life on the mean streets of New York.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 15, 2020

Full Review

Stephen Hunter

Baltimore Sun

The movie's two instincts are at complete odds with each other.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 21, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

Fresh (Sean Nelson) is a 12-year-old drug dealer who finds himself trapped in a web of poverty, corruption and racial tension in Brooklyn, New York. When his drug-addict sister Nichole (N'Bushe Wright) starts sleeping with local drug lord Esteban (Giancarlo Esposito), Fresh calls upon the skills he learned playing chess with his alcoholic father and speed-chess champion Sam (Samuel L. Jackson) and devises a complex strategy that will free both himself and his sister.

Director: Boaz Yakin
Screenwriter: Boaz Yakin
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.7M
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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