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A powerful image of the interlocked white and black hands of a black man and a white female evocatively used on the poster for Spike Lee's Jungle Fever
Explores the struggles of an interracial young couple, an African-American architect and an Italian-American secretary in New York, a crack addict and their more or less understanding surroundings.
Jungle Fever is written, produced and directed by Georgian master filmmaker Spike Lee (She's Gotta Have It (1986)), whose 5th feature it is. He also co-stars as Cyrus.
Jungle Fever is a very good 'local' film, - 'local' meaning that it is very much an American and a New-Yorker film, which may seem superfluous to audiences not Americans or New-Yorkers, or at least to those uninterested in America and New York. But as someone who falls into this third group, I find it absolutely wonderful.
The film puts a spotlight on modern, American racism, which is a favorite theme of Lee's, and he certainly doesn't make it easy for the characters of Wesley Snipes (The Fan (1996)) and Annabella Sciorra (Luke Cage (2018, TV-series)), who venture on the extra-marital, interracial affair at the film's core. Besides these two blazing stars, the film enjoys strong turns from Samuel L. Jackson (The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)) (as the crack addict), John Turturro (The Jesus Rolls (2019)), Ossie Davis (Philly (2002, TV-series)) and Lee himself. There are fresh songs from Stevie Wonder to enjoy along with the film, and the dialog is great. SPOILER Only the somewhat disappointing "NOOOOO!" ending weighs down on this great piece of filmmaking.
Related posts:
Spike Lee: The day after the day after ... the 2019 Oscars
Inside Man (2006) - Lee's delicious heist thriller
She Hate Me (2004) or, Champion of the Lesbians
2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Top 10: Best crime movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
25th Hour (2002) or, Taking a Second Chance
1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
He Got Game (1998) - Lee's basketball classic
Watch a trailer for the movie here
Cost: 14 mil. $
Box office: 43.8 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.12 times its cost)
[Jungle Fever premiered 16 May (Cannes Film Festival, main competition) and runs 132 minutes. Jackson had left crack rehab two weeks before filming and his ravaged look was reportedly caused by this. Shooting took place from August - December 1990 in New York. Universal Pictures made Lee scrap a prologue with his views on racism from the film. It opened #3, behind fellow new release City Slickers and holdover hit Backdraft, to a 5.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#4), grossing 32.4 mil. $ (74 % of the total gross). The film won a National Board of Review award and was nominated for a Grammy, among other honors. It lost the Palme d'Or to Barton Fink. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Lee returned with 9 music videos prior to his theatrical return with Malcolm X (1992). Snipes returned in The Waterdance (1992); Sciorra in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992). Jungle Fever is certified fresh at 84 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Jungle Fever?
