Jungle Fever

Focused on interracial relationships, Jungle Fever deals less with race than with how and why relationships go sour -- usually because people get into them for the wrong reasons and with the wrong expectations. Race is the main problem in the short-lived romance of Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes) and Angie Tucci (Annabella Sciorra), but mainly because they deny that race forms almost the whole basis of their attraction. On the other hand, the budding romance of Paulie (John Turturro) and Nilda (Phillis Stickney) makes clear that race isn't an issue if two people love each other. While Lee looks at romance at its best and worst, he also examines a family in collapse, as crack addict Gator (Samuel L. Jackson, in a remarkable performance that won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival) betrays his family's trust to support his habit. In short, like most of Spike Lee's best films, Jungle Fever has a lot more to say than a one-line description would lead you to believe, and, as always, Lee puts across his message with intelligence, skill, humanity, and occasional (and welcome) humor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide