Fresh (1994 film)

Fresh
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Boaz Yakin
Written by	Boaz Yakin
Produced by	Lawrence Bender Randy Ostrow
Starring	Sean Nelson Giancarlo Esposito Samuel L. Jackson N'Bushe Wright
Cinematography	Adam Holender
Edited by	Dorian Harris
Music by	Stewart Copeland
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date	September 2, 1994 (1994-09-02)
Running time	115 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3.5 million
Box office	$8.1 million

Fresh is a 1994 American crime drama film written and directed by Boaz Yakin in his directorial debut, and produced by Randy Ostrow and Lawrence Bender. It was scored by Stewart Copeland, a member of the Police. The story revolves around a preteen boy named Michael, nicknamed Fresh (portrayed by Sean Nelson), who runs drugs for gangsters. Inspired by the chess lessons of his father, an alcoholic speed-chess master (Samuel L. Jackson), Fresh devises and executes a brilliant plan to extricate himself and his drug-addicted sister (N'Bushe Wright) from their hopeless lives.^[1][2]

Marketed as a hip hop 'hood film, Fresh went relatively unnoticed by the public, but won critical acclaim. Critics praised the film for offering a realistic glimpse of life in New York City's projects during the crack epidemic. "There's shocking resonance to the notion of a grade-school boy who's become a criminal out of sheer pragmatism", wrote Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman.^[3]