''Streetwise'' (originally titled as ''24/7'') is a 1998

hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

film written and directed by Bruce Brown in his directorial debut, and stars Tim Taylor, Kurt Matthews, Jerry Cummings, D.C. Scorpio and Sidney Burston. ''Streetwise'' also stars Taraji P. Henson making her acting debut in a featured film. The film is set in the

Anacostia Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is na ...

neighborhood of

Southeast, Washington, D.C. Southeast (SE or S.E.) is the southeastern Quadrants of Washington, D.C., quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of East Capitol Street and east of South Capitol Street. It includes the Capitol Hill a ...

during the

crack epidemic The crack epidemic was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the United States throughout the entirety of the 1980s and the early 1990s. This resulted in a number of social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in Amer ...

of the late-1980s and early-1990s. ''Streetwise'' follows the lives of three brothers as they pursue different methods trying to make it out of their drug-infested neighborhood that's surrounded by poverty,

neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness an ...

and drug-related violence. In 2004, a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

was released, called ''

Divided City A divided city is one which, as a consequence of political changes or border shifts, currently constitutes (or once constituted) two separate entities, or an urban area with a border running through it. Listed below are the localities and the stat ...

''.

Plot

Eric Walker (Tim Taylor) along with his oldest brother Donte Walker (Kurt Matthews) and their friend Loco ( D.C. Scorpio) are

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

s who have a small-time operation selling crack on the corners of Talbert Street in their

neighborhood in Southeast, D.C. On the street corners, they have to worry about muggers such as 11:30 (a mentally-deranged stick-up kid who's served time in St. Elizabeths Hospital and who's fascinated with killing street thugs and then hurrying home to watch the aftermath on the 11:30 nightly news.) Eric's youngest brother Michael (Jerry Cummings) is different from the older brothers and is more focused on perfecting his skills in hip-hop and

go-go Go-go is a subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience call and response. Go-go was originated by African-American musicians in the Washington, D.C. area during the mid-60s to late-70s. Go-go has l ...

music, along with having dreams of receiving a major record deal. Their mother (Henri Edmonds) is very protective of Michael and doesn't want him going in the same direction as his two older brothers (Eric and Donte) who have become entrenched in the extremely violent drug-infested streets, during a time when D.C. was labeled the "Murder Capital of the United States". As a result, she keeps him on a very tight-leash, so overbearing that Michael feels like he's imprisoned. Tammy ( Taraji Henson) is an unmarried single-mother working as a

hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be re ...

at "Hair Quarters", who neglects her young son. Instead, she parties heavily at the clubs and dates drug hustlers promiscuously. She doesn't believe there are any good men left in the world, and has chosen to live for the moment. Her mother (Bunny Dorsett) encourages Tammy to straighten up her life and provide motherly guidance for her son; else she'll report her to the Child Protection Services for child neglect. Tammy eventually turns away from the fast-paced chasing-drug hustler's lifestyle and seeks counseling from the Max Robinson Community Center after thinking long about her mother's advice. Since "streetlife" is what Donte knows best, he wants to leave the 'nickel and dimes' dealings and use his street knowledge to maximize their presence beyond their neighborhood and into other profitable neighborhoods in the city (including Raymond's lucrative territories in Northwest, D.C.) Donte is irritated by outsiders like Raymond ( Sidney Burston), a drug lord who comes into their neighborhood and make millions of dollars selling crack off of their street corners. Donte convinces Eric and Loco that it's time to go big and expand their footprint into Raymond's territory. In time, Donte has an unexpected run-in at a crack-house with Raymond's girlfriend Tiffany (an all-girl's prep school educated drug-addict). She came looking for cocaine, since Raymond refused to give her any. Donte offers to provide her cocaine in exchange for sex, which she agrees. After sex, Donte tries to get inside information of Raymond's drug operation. Tiffany instead gives up Raymond's daily whereabouts, including the weekly haircuts every Wednesday at 10:00 AM at Charlie's barbershop. Donte uses the information to attempt an assassination of Raymond. Donte and Loco go to kill Raymond at the barbershop. However, they mistakenly kill the wrong person. Raymond (who was in the backroom witnessing) recognized Donte and immediately plans retaliation for "The Walker Boys". Members of his crew kidnap Michael and bring him to Raymond, where he's executed. This enrages Donte and Eric as they seek vengeance against Raymond, which climaxes into an all-out bloody street war between Donte, Raymond, and other neighborhood rivals.

Cast

(''All cast members were credited as ''"The Players"'') *Tim Taylor as Eric Walker *Kurt Matthews as Donte Walker *Jerry Cummings as Michael Walker * D.C. Scorpio as Loco *Henri Edmonds as Mrs. Walker * Sidney Burston as Raymond * Taraji Henson as Tammy *David Jason Orr as Tom Tom *Shelia Hayes as Alexandria (Alex) *Kim Persons as Mercedes *Janine Shaw as Tiffany *Shorty B as 11:30 *James "Jas Funk" Thomas as Milt *Tony Fisher as Big Tony *

DJ Kool John W. Bowman Jr. (born March 20, 1958), better known by his stage name DJ Kool, is an American DJ and rapper who produced several popular rap singles in the late 1980s. Career Raised in Washington, D.C., his influence from years of working t ...

as Himself (cameo appearances) *CJ as Himself (cameo appearances) *Paco as Himself (cameo appearances) *Bunny Dorsett as Tammy's mother *Tony Person as Dice *Tim Coats as Peanut *Joseph Gordon as Little Joe *Alonzo Thompson as Malik *Kirk Miles as Big Man *Lynette Hill as Candy *Kelvin Davis as Czar *Michael Hubbard as barber *Kenyatta as barber shop customer

Production

''Streetwise'' was filmed in and around the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgi ...

, but primarily in the

neighborhood of

Several iconic landmarks are featured throughout the film, including the Barry Farms Dwellings (where the Walker family lived), The Awakening sculpture (when it was located in Hains Point), the graffiti Wall of Sheridan Terrace, the Cadillac Motel (in Brandywine, Maryland),

Anacostia Park Anacostia Park is operated by the United States National Park Service. It is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest and most important recreation areas, with over 1200 acres (4.9 km2) at multiple sites. Included in Anacostia Park is Kenilworth ...

and the Big Chair. Several well-known locals made cameos throughout the film, including James "Jas Funk" Thomas (of the go-go band

Rare Essence Rare Essence is a Washington, D.C.-based go-go band formed in 1976. Rare Essence has been amongst the most prominent musicians of the D.C. music scene, producing numerous hit songs in the local D.C. market and several hits nationwide, including ...

), Tony "Big Tony" Fisher (of the go-go band

Trouble Funk Trouble Funk is an American R&B and funk band from Washington, D.C. The group helped to popularize funk and the subgenre go-go in the Washington metropolitan area. Among the band's well-known songs are the go-go anthem "Hey, Fellas". They re ...

), the radio personality Konan (credited as "CJ"), and

. Although Brown chose fictional characters, comparison could be drawn between Raymond and Rayful Edmond III (a legendary drug lord in D.C.), who was as ruthless in real life as that of Raymond. However, Edmond's final fate was abated by prison instead of death.

Release

''Streetwise'' screened for a few months exclusively at the " AMC Rivertowne Commons 12 Theatre" in Oxon Hill, Maryland before being released on VHS in 1998, and released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

in 2004 through Maverick Home Entertainment.

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack for ''Streetwise'' was released on Capital City Records and included original musical performances by Drama City, Inner City Groove, Junkyard Band,

, Triple Threat, and

. The album is currently out-of-print.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Streetwise (1998 Film) 1998 films 1998 crime thriller films African-American films American coming-of-age films American crime thriller films American independent films Films about African-American organized crime Films about drugs Films set in the 1990s Films set in Washington, D.C. Films shot in Washington, D.C. Go-go Hood films 1998 directorial debut films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films