Crack House - Submundo em Chamas

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.

Rick Morales (Gregg Thomsen) and his girlfriend Melissa (Cher Butler) are two inner city kids who have the potential to escape their grim surroundings. But he blows it when he impulsively goes gunning for revenge, after his cousin is shot dead. While he's in prison, she hooks up with the charismatic B.T. (Clyde Jones), who gets her hooked on drugs. Eventually, Rick gets word of the sorry state she's in - among other things, she is acquired as "collateral" by powerful drug kingpin Steadman (Jim Brown) - and works out a deal with police detective Lt. Johnson (Richard Roundtree) to get out of prison so he can dig up some dirt on Steadman.

The script, by Blake Schaefer, is very routine, and the direction, by Michael Fischa, is largely uninspired. Still, there's something to savour about these trashy "message" potboiler features, this one produced by the almighty Cannon Group. It does create a reasonably seedy and depressing atmosphere, due largely to some good location filming. This is a world that chews up many a young person and spits them back out, and there are characters, predictably, who don't make out too well. The violence is effective, as are the moments of sex and T & A.

Bad ass dudes Roundtree and Brown are worth watching. Roundtree doesn't exactly have to stretch himself a whole lot, but he's still cool. Brown is subtly powerful as the head bad guy. Anthony Geary of 'General Hospital' fame is cast as the well meaning teacher. Future film director F. Gary Gray ("Friday", "The Negotiator", "Law Abiding Citizen") has a tiny part as one of many gang members. Lovely Angel Tompkins does fairly well in a change of pace de-glamorized character role as Melissas' alcoholic mother. Thomsen and especially Butler are good as the kids at the centre of the story.

There's nothing special about this one, but it does entertain.

Six out of 10.

Crack House (1989) was one of the few film during the 80's that falls into this genre. What's supposed to be an anti-drug film turns out to be nothing more than some white-exploitation exercise in depravity. There's nothing wrong with that however. The video presentation even has an anti-drug message from one of the stars of the show Richard "turncoat" Roundtree,

The movie follows two young lovers in high school. One of them is a quasi tough guy and the other is his girl. One of them get's turned out by a mutual friend whilst the other is given a trip to the slam and is later on given a chance to get back at his ex-friends. Jim Brown appears as the movie's "Mister Big", he's one bad dude who still can punk-out anybody and is a very sadistic guy who likes to smack his hoes and beat the tar out of those who try to defy his word. Luke from General Hospital makes a guest star spot as well.

If you like hard edge sleaze then this movie's for you. Sadly, Hollywood doesn't make these any more and when they do, it's neither exploitative nor entertaining.

Recommended for sleaze fans.

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.

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.