Predrag The movie has a very dark yet thoughtful feel to it. Wesley Snipes plays his role with a warm compassion for those around him. Michael Wright does overact quite a bit but he probably had a few years to go to become a good actor. Clarence Williams III was superb as the father. Theresa Randle is very good as the girlfriend. I almost fell in love with her myself. She seemed like the perfect woman. The rest of the movie is straight gangster done by a black cast except for Abe Vigoda who played his part excellently.I love the setting of the movie as well as the cinematography. Director Leon Ichaso has an eye for things and you can see that as you watch this movie. Its a shame that the movie didn't do well and the director never did another movie again. Snipes is at his best as he is trying to leave his troubled past but each time gets pulled back by the ghosts that haunt him. The atmosphere is pure noir, and though it is clearly set in the present, it has the magical sheen of a 1940's film. Recommended viewing for all lovers of film, despite the occasional preachiness.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

ajohnson46289 One of the best movies I've ever seen. The jazzy soundtrack , great cinematography, and insightful disposition from the protagonist is extremely rare for a movie centered around drugs and violence. To the untrained eye Romello Scruggs appears to be a perplexed drug dealer. However, if the viewer looks a little closer and has any understanding of drugs in the black community, it becomes evident how smart and tough he really is. Two parents strung out on drugs (mother dies of an overdose in front of him as a child), a brother who is very dependent on him (also sabotaging his plans on leaving the drug game), dealing with the politics and strife that comes with being a successful drug dealer, yet he's well read and has an extensive jazz collection. A man with money and power that understands that those things are not the recipe for happiness. A realistic depiction of a thought provoking and tactful drug dealer; Also the harsh reality of the drug game, power, and greed. It definitely possesses a melancholic feel throughout the movie, but not in a depressing way. The gaudy lifestyle is there from beginning to end, but sugar hill focuses more on the thought process and the struggles of maintaining the lifestyle. As a result it lacks the glorification and extravagance of the classic mob flicks. Though a film like this may not be appealing to everyone I feel that it possesses a deep yet simple message. The cons outweigh the pros in the street lifestyle. Rarely does it ever end well and it should not be glorified as much as it is. Especially in the black community. Classic film with a timeless message.

bob the moo Years after they saw their mother OD and their father shot in the legs over drug dealings, brothers Roemello and Raynathan now run the streets of Harlem. However Roemello begins to tire of the trade and looks to leave, a new girlfriend helping to show him what he is missing out on. However getting out is never easy and is made more complicated by Lolly Jonas moving in on their territory with the beginnings of a gang war.The score to this film is a lazy, rambling blues number that plays consistently at times, like wallpaper. It is this score that I think sums up the weakness of this film - it is too slow, too patient and too lacking in style or energy. That's not to say it's a poor film for it is not, but it could have been better. Much has been done to try and make this quite a serious film that avoids the black gangsta clichés but the plot requires too much talking and exposition. This wouldn't have been as much of an issue if the characters and narrative had been more convincing.However, I never fully bought Roemello and Raynathan as adults having just seen flashbacks of their childhood. I could accept that they would end up selling the poison that ruined their lives, but would Roemello been as balanced and as suave as he was? Likewise, in the drug game - to get on top wouldn't he needed to have been ruthless and violent? He just seems too nice. This lack of convincing characters is an issue as they were really needed to make the rather slow and talky script more involving. Despite this weakness the film is still interesting, it doesn't really do anything different from things you will have seen before, and parts of it hark back to better gangster-epic style films. It doesn't distinguish itself but I must give it credit for trying to be a serious black gangster film in a sea of New Jack type clichés in other films.Snipes has become a better leading man with time and he tries to give a serious role here as a younger man but it never convinced me. I never got a sense of any menace or `dark side' to his character - he played him far too upright and moral to be a convincing character - his battle to go straight would have been more interesting if it didn't look like he was already halfway there! Randle is OK but has little to really do, and I never once understand where her character was coming from. Wright is a more erratic performance and more convincing than Snipes. Support is good from a variety of well known faces including Williams, Hill, Hudson and Bottoms.Overall this is a serious gangster film that had potential but whose delivery is just a little too slow and talky. The characters are more than just clichés but the script can't get them where they need to go - it sets up complex characters with childhood background but then fails to bring that out as adults. Worth a watch but it is quite slow, aiming for the grandeur of better films that it can't quite reach.

kumarihpx I'm surprised that someone else has this opinion, but so be it. I thought this was a wonderful story about a young man from the projects, his close relationship with his younger brother, and his ambitions borne out of a disgraceful upbringing by his absentee, addicted parents. Also involved is his relationship with his brother, who seems to never have grown up at all. They start as drug runners on "Sugar Hill," and eventually run the place, with Romey the big kingpin. What's ironic, though, is that Sugar Hill (sugar = euphoric high on hard drugs) is the same place they grew up, and where their parents got strung-out thereby neglecting their responsibilities in guiding their children. Luckily, Romey came out of it with some sense, street and book, and he takes over as head of the family (the family that's left that is). This is a what I believe is a common tale of the recycling of the same woes that happens to families on the mean streets. I think it's an interesting phenomenon. Also very reminiscent of Scarface, in that the youths grow up with outrageous ambitions that no amount of money can ever appease, a need for power, money, success. The ending is bittersweet, but you feel satisfied with the outcome overall.