History Film / Clockers

''Clockers'' is a 1995 Creator/SpikeLee film ([[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted from]] the novel of the same name by Richard Price) about the events surrounding the a murder of a night manager of a fast food restaurant in Brooklyn. Similar to ''Series/TheWire'', it's one part PoliceProcedural, one part "hood movie," taking a bleak look at the ways that UsefulNotes/TheWarOnDrugs systematically destroys the lives of African-Americans living in the projects.

* AbsoluteXenophobe: describes some of the cops here. Including two cops who say they wish the projects were blown up to pieces, killing all the blacks in them.

* AssholeVictim: a few examples. Darryl Adams being the clearest one. He was a nasty drug dealer who showed no respect to others. And [[spoiler: Scientific when he gets shot, even though he was a complete prick to everyone]].

** Not always. Andre is nice until [[spoiler: Tyrone finds a guy from Strike. Then they become enemies.]]

* PointofNoReturn: [[spoiler: the ending. Strike is banished from the inner city by Andre. Rocco adds on to this, telling Strike that he'll arrest Strike and put him in a cell with Rodney. However, Strike gets his chance at a new life, but at that cost. He can never return to New York.]]

* VillainousFriendship: Rodney and Errol used to run in a gang together. Errol is now TheDragon to Rodney.

* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Rodney's candy store.

''Clockers'' is a 1995 Creator/SpikeLee film ([[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted from]] the novel of the same name by Richard Price) about the events surrounding the a murder of a night manager of a fast food restaurant in Brooklyn, New York. Similar to ''Series/TheWire'', it's one part PoliceProcedural, one part "hood movie," taking a bleak look at how UsefulNotes/TheWarOnDrugs systematically destroys the lives of the African-Americans living in the projects.

''Clockers'' is a 1995 Creator/SpikeLee movie ([[TheFilmOfTheBook based on the novel by Richard Price]]) about the events surrounding the a murder of a night manager of a fast food restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. Similar to ''Series/TheWire'', it's one part PoliceProcedural, one part "hood movie," taking a bleak look at how UsefulNotes/TheWarOnDrugs systematically destroys the lives of the African-Americans living in the projects.

The "Clockers" of the title are the dealers who stand on the corners and in the courtyards of the projects slinging drugs, on constant lookout from the police, often hiring young children to act as lookouts as they ply their trade. Strike (Mekhi Phifer) is the leader of the crew that works the benches in his projects for neighborhood crime lord Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo). Another one of Rodney's dealers, Darryl Adams (Steve White), works out of a fast food restaurant in relative safety and comfort, but has been stealing from Rodney. Rodney hints that Darryl's spot would go to Strike if Strike were to take Darryl out.

* Sean Touhey, a big shot Hollywood actor who tags along with Klein and Mazilli to prepare for a role.
* Strike's on-again-off-again girlfriend.

''Clockers'' is a 1995 Creator/SpikeLee movie ([[TheFilmOfTheBook based on the novel by Richard Price]]) about the events surrounding the a murder of a night manager of a fast food restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. Similar to ''Series/TheWire'', it's one part PoliceProcedural, one part "hood movie," taking a bleak look at how the war on drugs systematically destroys the lives of the African-Americans living in the projects.

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Delroy Lindo as Rodney Little

* AssholeVictim: a few examples. Darryl Adams being the clearest one. He was a nasty drug dealer who showed no respect to others. And [[spoiler: Scientific when he gets shot, even though he was complete prick to everyone]].

* EarnYourHappyEnding: But not everyone. [[spoiler: Victor is freed from prison and returns home to his family. Tyrone is cleared of killing Errol Barnes after being coached by Klein. While everyone else in the projects is standing around watching the police clean up another murdered body, Tyrone is safe inside explaining to his mom how electric trains work. Strike left Tyrone his train set after being given a chance to get out of the projects to avoid retaliation from Rodney, who still has considerable power. Strike may never see his family again. The projects are still hell, bodies are dropping left and right, and nobody cares except maybe now for Detective Klein who can't really do anything to change things. In the final shot, Strike is riding in a real train (a lifelong dream) watching out the windows in wonder at the vast open space of the American west.]]

* KnightInSourArmor: Rocco Klein. He's as cynical and outwardly uncaring as all the other cops in his squad, but is determined to find the truth behind the murder of Darryl Adams, and ultimately helps out a wrongly accused person get out of town. In the final scene, at yet another murder investigation, the cops are shown joking over another dead body, while Klein now looks genuinely weary from the all the killing.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Throughout. One of Seal's songs, a pleasant song, plays in a grim scene where Rocco is interrogating Strike. In another a country rock song, a warm song, plays when Errol brags about how evil he is. One of Seal's songs plays again, this time when Rocco and Larry arrest Rodney. Finally, [[spoiler: Andre beating Strike at the end, and the ugliness that follows, with Rodney chasing Strike through town,]] happens to the song "Silent Hero" by Desiree.

That night, Darryl Adams is found murdered in the restaurant's parking lot. Homicide detectives Klein (Creator/HarveyKeitel) and Mazilli (Creator/JohnTurturro) arrive to investigate, and the case appears to be open-and-shut when a man named Victor Dunham (Isaiah Washington) confesses to shooting Adams in self defense. By all accounts, Victor is an honest, hard-working man struggling to raise a family in the projects on two low-income jobs. Klein doesn't believe the confession, especially when he discovers that Victor is Strike's older brother. Klein believes Victor is covering for Strike, who is a "known scumbag" in Rodney Little's organization who had motive to kill Darryl Adams.

The "Clockers" of the title are the dealers who stand on the corners and in the courtyards of the projects slinging drugs, on constant lookout from the police, often hiring young children to act as lookouts as they ply their trade. Strike (Mekhi Phifer) is the leader of the crew that works the benches in his projects for neighborhood crime lord Rodney Little (Delroy Lindo). Another one of Rodney's dealers, Darryl Adams, works out of a fast food restaurant in relative safety and comfort, but has been stealing from Rodney. Rodney hints that Darryl's spot would go to Strike if Strike were to take Darryl out.

** Although he doesn't start off this way, Rocco Klein. A darker version of Andy Sipowicz from NYPD Blue. Although this was already building up. He showed no regard for evidence, much like Andy and was bent on investigating at any cost, similar to how Andy would do it. The main point, and the main difference between him and Andy, is when he tries to arrange Rodney into trying to hurt Strike in some sick attempt to get Strike to fess up, thinking he killed Darryl Adams which fails because he doesn't confess. Not even Andy ever turns evil.

* DirtyCop: "Crooked-Ass" Jojo. He routinely shakes down clockers, offers them protection, and even sells back confiscated drugs to them. Klein is aware of it and doesn't seem bothered by it at all, and in fact uses Jojo to put pressure on Strike.
--> **Although he doesn't start off this way, Rocco Klein. A darker version of Andy Sipowicz from NYPD Blue. Although this was already building up. He showed no regard for evidence, much like Andy and was bent on investigating at any cost, similar to how Andy would do it. The main point, and the main difference between him and Andy, is when he tries to arrange Rodney into trying to hurt Strike in some sick attempt to get Strike to fess up, thinking he killed Darryl Adams which fails because he doesn't confess. Not even Andy ever turns evil.

''Clockers'' is a 1995 Creator/SpikeLee movie ([[TheFilmOfTheBook based on the novel by Richard Price]]) about the events surrounding the a murder of a night manager of a fast food restaurant in Brooklyn, NY. Similar to "TV/TheWire," it's one part PoliceProcedural, one part "hood movie," taking a bleak look at how the war on drugs systematically destroys the lives of the African-Americans living in the projects.

That night, Darryl Adams is found murdered in the restaurant's parking lot. Homicide detectives Klein (Harvey Keitel) and Mazilli (John Turturro) arrive to investigate, and the case appears to be open-and-shut when a man named Victor Dunham (Isaiah Washington) confesses to shooting Adams in self defense. By all accounts, Victor is an honest, hard-working man struggling to raise a family in the projects on two low-income jobs. Klein doesn't believe the confession, especially when he discovers that Victor is Strike's older brother. Klein believes Victor is covering for Strike, who is a "known scumbag" in Rodney Little's organization who had motive to kill Darryl Adams.

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: An inversion. Victor has confessed to the crime, but Klein doesn't think it adds up that he shot Darryl in self-defense, especially when Victor can't seem to get the details of the crime right.