Jungle Fever (1991)

My Review

“Jungle Fever” is a romantic drama film that explores the beginning and the end of an extramarital interracial relationship set in the urban backdrop of New York City. Producer-director-screenwriter Spike Lee explores the relationship from racial, marital, religious, moral, and social angles, forthrightly depicting reactions of people, leaving no group unscathed, mainly in the African-American and Italian-American communities from which the main characters hail.

Lee’s screenplay is very well written. He also garnered excellent performances out of his huge cast, starting with Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra as the two principal actors. The co-stars include himself, Spike Lee, as Snipes’ best friend, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (married in real life for 57 years) as Snipes’ parents, Frank Vincent as Sciorra’s father, and Samuel L. Jackson as Snipes’ drug addicted brother.

Others include Lonette McKee, John Turturro, Anthony Quinn, Tyra Ferrell, Veronica Webb, Michael Imperioli, Michael Badalucco, Debi Mazar, Tim Robbins, Brad Dourif, Theresa Randal, Gina Mastrogiacomo, Charlie Murphy, Phyliss Yvonne Stickney, Miguel Sandoval, David Dundara, Rick Aiello (son of Danny Aiello), and Halle Berry and Queen Latifah in their motion picture debuts.

The very watchable and engrossing “Jungle Fever” was successful at the box office for producer Spike Lee, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, and Universal Pictures.