This is when Spike compresses a serious debate or concern in the black community into a few expressive moments of action or dialogue. A good essay could be written on what I call the Spike Summarization technique. In Spike's movies, paying a little attention is rewarding. The mothers, the cops, the young people, the kids, the men trying to make a living - there is eloquent commentary in 'Clockers' on the situations of all. Just as heat represented racial tension in Lee's masterpiece 'Do The Right Thing', Strike's sickness represents the illnesses plaguing the ghetto: drugs, guns, liquor. It might be an ulcer or something like that. The lead character Strike has a stomach problem. It is a movie asking why so many young black men are dying in the streets. Most importantly, it is a brutal look at drugs, guns, and life in the projects. It is the story of the confusion and crisis of a young man's life.

But there are other, more important layers. The mystery aspect of the plot is very interesting. In fact, on one level, it is not a 'hood' movie, but a whodunit. But the inescapable fact is that this one of the best examinations of the subject matter there has been on screen - on par with 'Boyz N The Hood'. The only reason for the film's lack of recognition I can imagine is that its subject matter had been examined a number of times before. But it is brilliant and, for the person who truly tries to understand it, a compelling, insightful look at the problems killing black America today. Actually, if you are a thinking, caring person, this is movie is overall heart-breaking. It is bleak and at times very off-putting. It angers me how overlooked this film is.

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