I ragazzi del crack

I recently viewed The Crack House (1989) on Tubi. The plot revolves around two young lovers whose lives take a dark turn when the male protagonist incurs a debt to a dangerous drug lord, resulting in him offering up his girlfriend as collateral. As the drug lord exerts his control over the young woman, her ex-boyfriend, currently incarcerated, learns of her plight and vows to do whatever it takes to rescue her.

Directed by Michael Fischa (known for Rice Girl), the film features a cast including Jim Brown (from The Running Man), Anthony Geary (from VHF), Richard Roundtree (famous for Shaft), Cher Butler, Angel Tompkins (known for The Teacher), and Gregg Thomsen (from Soultaker).

Despite its limitations, I found myself unexpectedly drawn to this film. It exudes a gritty, low-budget charm reminiscent of a blend between Snowfall and the video game Double Dragon. The gripping opening bathtub scene sets the tone effectively, while the acting, though inconsistent at times, is anchored by a standout performance from Jim Brown as the menacing drug dealer. His interactions with the female characters, though uncomfortable, underscore the film's gritty realism. The meticulously chosen sets and lively fight sequences add to the film's appeal, culminating in a satisfying conclusion.

In summary, The Crack House offers a compelling mix of grindhouse and blaxploitation vibes, making it a worthwhile watch for fans of these genres. I would give it a rating of 6.5/10 and strongly recommend it to those seeking an edgy cinematic experience.

I watch this as a teen and again in my twenties, even then I was shocked the Jim Brown would stoop so low! But his history and abuse of women in real life is almost as bad as it is in this movie. Yes a lot of people saw this movie as humorous and funny... In reality it was none of those things. It was brutal towards women, yes know it's a movie but just stating my opinion, this is not something that any young person should see. But if you do see it, hopefully it'll teach you to say no to drugs for REAL! And stay away from people that deal drugs and especially human traffickers! I read one of the reviewer said she saw it at age 9, and it scared her for life. I certainly can see how she came to that conclusion.

"Rick Morales" (Gregg Thomsen) is a high school senior who has quit his neighborhood gang and wants out of the slums. "Melissa" (Cher Butler) is his girlfriend who also wants out and has dreams of pursuing a life in the fashion industry. Unfortunately, when Rick's cousin "Jesus" (Louis Rivera) gets killed in a drive-by shooting Rick seeks revenge and rejoins his former gang. During the attack on the rival gang he is subsequently arrested for attempted murder and put in jail awaiting trial. This leaves Melissa with no one to turn to and she is now forced to fend for herself. In no time she gets involved with a local pusher named "B.T." (Clyde Jones) who she thinks will protect her from members of Rick's old gang. Instead B.T. gets her hooked on crack cocaine and her life spirals into a living hell not long afterward as she soon becomes nothing more than a sexual commodity to him and others in the drug chain. Now, rather than reveal the rest of the story and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this a film that is raw,sleazy and graphic. I liked the fact that Jim Brown (as "Steadman") and Richard Roundtree ("Lt. Johnson") both appeared in this movie along with the performance of Cher Butler who played her role brilliantly. I also liked the presence of Heidi Thomas ("Annie") who lent some nice scenery to an otherwise ugly atmosphere. In any case, as I stated earlier this film is quite brutal in nature and may not appeal to everyone so viewer discretion is advised. All things considered I rate the film as average.

Pretty sleazy exploitation flick from Cannon that has decent production values and above average action scenes. "Crackhouse" is pretty brutal and the violence is quite gritty.

Ex-Playmate of the month Cheryl Butler (credited as Cheryl Kay here) shows off her assets but also turns in a rather haunting performance. She played a strung out junkie very convincingly. The rest of the acting is typical 80's cheese and Richard Roundtree plays his usual useless cop role. "Crackhouse" is pretty brutal and the violence is quite gritty.

The best part about "Crackhouse" is that is features Jim Brown as a sleazy drug dealer who keeps women locked up in his crack house. After Brown has his way with the girls he tosses them over to his fellow drug dealers so they can perform gang rapes. Brown even tells a lady she "smells like sh*t" and that she needs to wash her a**hole. Pretty entertaining stuff.

The dialog is also amusing. During a fight with a drug dealer who strung his lady out on crack, hero Rick screams "Fu*k you, fu*ker!" before smashing the guy's head through a van window. Then he blows up the guys van and walks away (without looking at the explosion of course).

Luke from General Hospital pops up as a school teacher who happens to also be the biggest drug supplier in town (?) and forces a student to strip for a crack rock.

Check the film out if you like 80's exploitation or Cannon Films. It's entertaining and well made.

I had never even heard about the 1989 crime drama "Crack House" when I stumbled upon it here in 2025. And with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to check out what director had to offer.

The storyline in the movie was adequate, but nothing outstanding really. It was a somewhat forgettable and bland narrative, and I have to admit that I struggled to keep focus on the screen. So writers Blake Schaffer and Jack Silverman didn't exactly invent something grand here.

The acting performances in the movie were fair. There were two familiar faces on the cast list, and that was Richard Roundtree and Jim Brown.

While I did manage to sit through the entire movie, then I was only mildly entertained. It is not, however, a movie that I will ever watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend you to track down if you haven't already seen it.

My rating of director Michael Fischa's 1989 movie "Crack House" lands on a four out of ten stars.