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Above the Rim

Above the Rim

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1994

Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.

Movie details

Above the Rim

“Some games you play. Some games play you.”

1994 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Above the Rim?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Devil You Know

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The Grissom Gang

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Crime · 1971

Violent crime caper set in 1930s Kansas in which a gang kidnap an heiress and attempt to recover a ransom. However, the scheme is jeopardised when the leader falls in love with their beautiful captive.

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Crime · 2021

Convicted felon Jimmy gets early parole after serving twelve years for armed robbery. Upon his release, he vows to give Annie, his childhood love, now dying from cancer, the best last year of her life – unfortunately it’s not that simple.

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Crime · 1992

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Siberian Education

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The Enforcer

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A noir thriller set in Miami, the film follows an enforcer who discovers his femme fatale boss has branched out into cyber sex trafficking, putting a young runaway he’s befriended at risk. He sacrifices everything to save the young girl from the deadly organization he’s spent his life building.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jeff Pollack

Written by

Barry Michael Cooper · Jeff Pollack · Benny Medina

Duane Martin

Duane Martin

Kyle Lee Watson

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur

Birdie

Bernie Mac

Bernie Mac

Flip

Marlon Wayans

Marlon Wayans

Bugaloo

Leon

Leon

Shep

Wood Harris

Wood Harris

Motaw

Michael Rispoli

Michael Rispoli

Richie

Court is in session

Put Above the Rim on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.