Fresh (1994)

Small but powerful inner-city drama about a 12-year-old Brooklyn boy
(Sean Nelson) who sets-up a scheme to get himself and his sister away
from drugs (he's a courier, she's a junkie) and out of the projects.
The well-written script-- by first-time filmmaker Boaz Yakin-- is the
draw here.  The premise may not be entirely believable, but Yakin's
crisp characterizations more than compensate for any occasional lag in
narration.

Nelson is a find, a tough cookie who'll break your heart by the end.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the father, a speed chess player who injects
enough life lessons into the game to make FRESH feel like a companion
piece to SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER.  Too bad the sound enginnering is
awful.  Don't expect to hear all the dialogue in this one.

One question:  where's Harvey Keitel?

Grade: B+