Clockers (1995)
79%RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: 6 nominations
A work of mournful maturity that sacrifices little of its director’s signature energy, Clockers is an admittedly flawed drama with a powerfully urgent message
Clockers is a movie that will leave you feeling like you just got punched in the gut, but in a good way. Spike Lee’s direction is on point, and the performances are top-notch. It’s not a feel-good movie, but it’s a must-watch for anyone who loves gritty crime dramas. Just make sure you have some tissues nearby, because you’re going to need them.
Production Company(ies)
Mosfilm Vtoroe Tvorcheskoe Obedinenie
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Gowanus Housing Projects, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong graphic violence, strong language and drug content
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital DTS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 7, 2006
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer, Isaiah Washington, Keith David, directed by Spike Lee, written by Richard Price and Spike Lee, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Juan M Mendez, Janet Maslin, Michael Wilmington, Carol Buckland, David Ansen, Jason Bailey, Alistair Lawrence, Margaret A McGurk, David Sterritt, Steve Persall, Rod Dreher, MPAA rating R, drug dealer, homicide detective, crime drama, urban epic, tragic, powerful, urgent message, family man, virtuous, cover up, street drug dealer, drug dealing, drug addiction, drug trade, police investigation, murder investigation, New York City, Brooklyn, violence, corruption, poverty, racial tension, social commentary, police brutality, inner-city life, gang violence, drug war, drug culture, drug trafficking, drug lord, organized crime, drug-related crime, drug overdose, drug abuse, drug rehabilitation, drug treatment, drug recovery, drug prevention, drug education, drug policy, drug laws, drug enforcement, drug legalization, drug decriminalization, drug reform
Worldwide gross: $13,071,518
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,703,308
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,615
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,802,978
US/Canada gross: $13,071,518
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $25,703,308
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,328
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,463,560
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $8,776,965
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 989
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $25,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $49,158,996
Production budget ranking: 809
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $26,472,119
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$49,927,808
ROI to date (est.): -66%
ROI ranking: 1,785
John Turturro – Det. Larry Mazilli
Delroy Lindo – Rodney Little
Mekhi Phifer – Ronald “Strike” Dunham
Isaiah Washington – Victor Dunham
Keith David – André the Giant
Director(s)
Spike Lee
Writer(s)
Richard Price, Spike Lee
Producer(s)
Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Jon Kilik
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (17)
With Clockers, director Spike Lee achieves his best work so far.
August 18, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Juan M. Mendez
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
A story told with mournful, epic vision that rises high above its grim setting.
April 9, 2020
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
In many ways, it’s better than the book it’s taken from: tighter, tauter, with a deeper vein of sadness opening underneath.
April 9, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
“Clockers” is as grim as it is good. This is not an”entertaining” popcorn- type movie. It’s timely. It’s tragic in many ways. And it leaves a provocative and lasting impression.
April 9, 2020
Carol Buckland
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
Clockers may be Lee’s strongest film since Do the Right Thing, but he runs into trouble at the end when he tries to tie up all his threads in neat bows…the passion of this raw, mournful urban epic remains in spite of the false moves.
February 26, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
There’s no denying the movie’s greatness: the depth of the characters, the urgency of its narrative, the nightmarishness of its vision.
August 16, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
Clockers is of its time and now feels slightly dated because of it… But it remains a well-crafted crime drama and feels real and true enough to still hit close to home.
December 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Alistair Lawrence
Common Sense Media
Clockers is a tremendous film — and a major addition to the work of a vibrantly talented director.
August 19, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
”Clockers” remains a major work by a major film artist, but its cinematic achievements are diminished by its narrative and psychological shortcomings.
April 9, 2020
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor
Strong performances, edgy dialogue and Lee’s success in luring an audience into his own tempo and urgent perspective make Clockers tough stuff, indeed.
April 9, 2020 | Rating: B+
Steve Persall
Tampa Bay Times
What all but sinks Clockers is its muddled script, an indulgent mess that is by turns dull and disorienting.
April 9, 2020
Rod Dreher
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
This harrowing portrait of a young, ulcer- ridden, low-level drug dealer, or “clocker,” adds up to the director’s best film since “Do the Right Thing.”
April 9, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant…
Plot
Strike is a young city drug pusher under the tutelage of drug-lord Rodney Little, who, when not playing with model trains or drinking Moo for his ulcer, just likes to chill with his brothers near the benches outside the project houses. When a night man at a fast-food restaurant is found with four bullets in his body, Strike’s older brother turns himself in as the killer. Det. Rocco Klein doesn’t buy the story, however, and sets out to find the truth, and it seems that all the fingers point toward Strike & Rodney.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Clockers on Fresh Kernels.
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