''Blue Hill Avenue'' is a 2001 American
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed and written by
Craig Ross Jr.
Craig Valentine Ross, Jr. is an American film/television director, editor, producer and screenwriter.
Career
Ross was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He then moved with his father to the San Francisco Bay area at an early age. After graduating h ...
, and starring
Allen Payne
Allen Payne (born Allen Roberts on July 7, 1968) is an American actor best known for his role as Jason Alexander in the 1994 drama film ''Jason's Lyric'', as well as his portrayal of C.J. Payne on the family sitcom ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne ...
. Ross also edited and executive produced the film.
Synopsis
Tristan (the leader), Simon (the right-hand man), E-Bone (the hot head) and Money (the mediator) are four smart friends growing up in the tough
Roxbury section of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
in the 1980s. Starting out as small-time dope dealers on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, they eventually go to work for Benny, a major player in the Boston crime scene.
As the four friends grow up and become the biggest dealers in the city, things become increasingly heated: Tristan's wife wants him to leave the business because she's pregnant, Tristan finds out his sister is hooked on drugs and is alienated from his family, Simon becomes obsessed with a near-death experience and expects to die, cops dog their tracks trying every trick in and out of the book to catch them. Benny, their main supplier, wants them out of the business for good.
Worse, it becomes clear one of the four is trying to sell the others out to the cops. In the end, Tristan faces Benny down alone. Will he be able to get out of the business—and the life—for good?
Cast
*
Allen Payne
Allen Payne (born Allen Roberts on July 7, 1968) is an American actor best known for his role as Jason Alexander in the 1994 drama film ''Jason's Lyric'', as well as his portrayal of C.J. Payne on the family sitcom ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne ...
as Tristan
**W.B. Alexander as young Tristan
*
Angelle Brooks
Born in 1967, Brooks was the youngest of four children.
Since the mid–1990s, Brooks has guest-starred in such television shows as ''NYPD Blue'', ''The Young and the Restless'', ''The Sopranos'', ''The Larry Sanders Show'', ''Strong Medicine'', ...
as Martine
**Diane Fauteux as young Martine
*
Michael "Bear" Taliferro as Simon
**Dana Blair as young Simon
*
William L. Johnson as "E-Bone"
**
Brandon Hammond
Brandon La Ron Hammond (born February 6, 1984) is a former child actor who appeared in several movie and television roles mainly during the 1990s. He appeared in the feature films ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''Mars Attacks!'' (1996) and ''Soul F ...
as young E-Bone
*
Aaron D. Spears as "Money"
**
Percy Daggs III as young Money
*
Andrew Divoff
Andrew Daniel Divoff (born July 2, 1955) is a Venezuelan actor and producer.Lanyon, Mary-Justine"A 'Bad Guy' With a Heart of Gold", Lake Arrowhead Magazine (Winter 2015-16), pp. 41-43 retrieved June 30, 2020.
Divoff has played many villains in ...
as Detective Tyler
*
Richard Lawson as Uncle Rob
*Marlon Young as "Twinkie"
*
Clarence Williams III as Benny
*
William Forsythe as Detective Torrance
*William Butler as "Big Time"
*Chris Thornton as Lathan
*William Springfield as "Soul Train"
*
Pooch Hall
Marion "Pooch" Hall, Jr. (born February 8, 1976) is an American television and film actor known for his role as Derwin Davis, the football player on the sitcom '' The Game'', and as Ricky in the 2011 film ''Jumping the Broom''. He also played th ...
(credited as Marion Hall) as Billy "Schlep Rock" Brown
*
Kenny Robinson as Sam
*Emily Bruhier as Martine's girlfriend
Awards & nominations
2001 Acapulco Black Film Festival
*Best U.S. Film – Blue Hill Avenue, Craig Ross Jr. (winner)
2002 Black Reel Awards
*Best Independent Actor (Theatrical) – Allen Payne (winner)
*Best Independent Film (Theatrical) – (nominated)
2001 Urbanworld Film Festival
*Best Director – Craig Ross Jr. (winner)
See also
*
List of hood films
This is a list of hood films – films focusing on the culture and life of African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and/or in some cases, Asian Americans living in segregated, low-income urban communities, as well as comparably deprived and crime-ri ...
References
External links
*
*
*{{Rotten Tomatoes, blue_hill_avenue
2001 films
2000s crime drama films
American crime drama films
Artisan Entertainment films
Films set in Boston
Lionsgate films
Hood films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films