SUGAR HILL

SUGAR HILL tells the story about two black brothers growing up in Harlem, with the drugs, the street life, the death and destruction, and the trap that sucks the youth in and won’t let them out. Roemello Skuggs (Wesley Snipes) is the younger brother and a drug ring leader. His brother, Raynathan, is also involved in drugs. When Roemello meets Melissa, he wants to get out of his life of crime, but his brother wants him to leave Melissa and stay in drugs. Eventually, he gets out, but it costs him everything including his family.

The characters and storyline of this movie center around a “lost generation” of drug dealers and the crimes that keep them in their prison of despair. A depressing film, SUGAR HILL tries to explore a subject that has been done better in other films. It attempts to show the dark despair and depression of Harlem street life. The film differs from others in that it shows Roemello’s financial success and his willingness to give up his success just to “get out.” Bloody killings abound in this film along with street violence, men being beaten and tortured, perverse sexual acts, drug use, a man set on fire, and countless obscenities and profanities. Roemellow finally leaves his old life, but it is at the price of his family and almost his life, so the offensive elements in the movie far outweigh any positive elements.