Above the Rim - Nahe dem abgrund

This movie deserves more credit then critics should give. This movie had an all star cast as the up and coming Marlon Wayans,Tupac Shakur,Leon,Duane Martin,Henry Simmons,Bernie Mac,and the lovely Tonya Pinkins. Each actor played their part magnificiently and it was hip,touching,and realistic. The beginning was a little off when Leon dreamed of his best friend's death and then focused mainly on Duane Martin's basketball skills,and him trying to get into Georgetown University. Marlon Wayans was the comic relief in the film who's been released from prison. Bernie Mac was the homeless man who was interested in basketball but never made it. Tupac was the ruthless street hustler and the coach of a dirty playing basketball team. There were other former R&B stars who starred in the movie but only had small parts. To wrap it up in a nutshell Above the rim to me is one of the most memorable urban basketball movies I've ever saw.

What a cast - and even the ones you may not expect to like as much do a really good job. So maybe the Wayans in here is nothing more than ... what he is in reality, but he also proved with Darren Arronofsky that he can actually act - I sometimes wonder why he never took that route. But another actor in this never had the chance to go any route ... and Tupac Shakur shows that he is or could have been quite the good actor.

Overall the story is quite predictable and it is the actors that make this something that may seem more than worthwhile. Not sure about all the basketball scenes in this, but they are more than decent enough to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat.

this was one of tupac's best movie ever.The story line was great and so was his peformence.I enjoy basketball and for those of you who are a huge fan of the sport or watching ghetto movies.Go to the video store and rent,you will like this movie so much that you would want to see it over and over again.

Kyle Lee Watson is a cocky high school basketball star. Bugaloo (Marlon Wayans) is his loudmouth friend. Flip Johnson (Bernie Mac) is a local homeless guy. Tommy Shepard (Leon) is a high school security guard who secretly used to be a star player. His brother Birdie (Tupac Shakur) is a local drug lord. Shep starts going out with Kyle's mother. Kyle falls under Birdie's influence.

This movie starts with a ridiculous scene. Shep and his friend are playing basketball on the roof of a building. There's no fence. The friend tries to dunk and smash through the backboard falling to his death. The setup is stupid to begin with but it also looks stupid. It takes awhile for the movie to regain its credibility. It helps that there are some good acting going on here. I especially like Leon and Tupac. They are compelling brothers. I really like their story and their chemistry. The rest are solid. I just wish they redo that opening scene.

This movie has a real street feel to it,and it shows the meaning of true friends and how difficult some kids have growing up in world with drugs and crime. One of my favorit movies in this genre,and this movie also contains some real cool basketball scenes.