Poetic Justice

"'Cause nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone."

1993 1h 49m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 298

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Still grieving after the murder of her boyfriend, hairdresser Justice writes poetry to deal with the pain of her loss. Unable to get to Oakland to attend a convention because of her broken-down car, Justice gets a lift with her friend, Iesha, and Iesha's postal worker boyfriend, Chicago. Along for the ride is Chicago's co-worker, Lucky, to whom Justice grows close after some initial problems. But is she ready to open her heart again?

“'Cause nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.”

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Cast

Janet Jackson
Justice
Tupac Shakur
Lucky
Regina King
Iesha
Joe Torry
Chicago
Roger Guenveur Smith
Heywood
Maya Angelou
Aunt June
Dina D.
Dina
Rose Weaver
Aunt Audrey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Singleton
Writers: John Singleton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "John Singleton's Hood Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Singleton, shot by Peter Lyons Collister. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Janet Jackson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bruce Cannon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur and Regina King carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "'Cause nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0107840 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Singleton directs. Peter Lyons Collister behind the camera. Janet Jackson scores. Bruce Cannon cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

133 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "John Singleton's Hood Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by John Singleton, shot by Peter Lyons Collister. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Janet Jackson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Bruce Cannon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur and Regina King carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "'Cause nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.".
8IMDB entry: tt0107840 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "loss of loved one", "sadness", "road trip", "los angeles, california".

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Lyons Collister
Original score: Janet Jackson
Editing: Bruce Cannon
Production design: Keith Brian Burns
Costume design: Darryle Johnson
Makeup / hair: Susan A. Cabral
Stunt coordinator: Bob Minor
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $14,000,000
Box office: $27,515,786
Return: 197% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Poetic Justice (1993)

Part of

John Singleton's Hood Trilogy

With his electrifying debut feature, Boyz n the Hood, John Singleton brought his South Central Los Angeles community to the screen with a bracing immediacy that rocked 1990s American cinema and popular culture. Poetic Justice and Baby Boy completed what the director considered his Hood Trilogy, a series of richly nuanced films that constitute a dramatic universe all their own. Featuring remarkable performances from supernova talents like Cuba Gooding Jr., Angela Bassett, Regina King, Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, and Taraji P. Henson, these indelible tales of urban life explore the experience of growing up Black and searching for one’s place in the world.