Clockers

Novelist Richard Price and director Spike Lee teamed up for what should have been a great film, but this 1995 urban murder mystery about peer pressure and drug dealing is riddled with more plot holes than bullet holes. Hard-boiled NYC detective Rocco Klein (Harvey Keitel) investigates a bizarre killing in which the suspect who confessed doesn’t fit the crime. The suspect’s brother Strike (Mekhi Phifer), a young "clocker" (24-hour drug dealer) who has more stomach problems than a Wall Street broker, seems a more likely candidate and a serious game of cat-and-mouse between cop and kid ensues. While grittily filmed, Clockers is ultimately an uneven Lee film. Boasting a fine transfer, this Blu-ray release includes an audio commentary by Vanity Fair film critic K. Austin Collins. A strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)