"New Jack City" - the Cash Money Quizzes

Answer: Mario Van Peebles

Mario's role in this movie is Sgt. Stone, a member of the NYPD who is tasked with doing something about the drug problem in New York City.

Mario Van Peebles is the son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, who made his name as a director of "Blaxploitation" flicks in the 1970s. This was son Mario's first foray as a director.

Answer: Nino Brown

Snipes gets a chance to play a pure villain, though his talent and general likability is such that the audience isn't asked to truly turn against Nino Brown until the third act of the movie when his empire crumbles. Up until that point in the story arc, he imbues his character with some attractive characteristics that keep Nino Brown from looking like the pure Bad Guy.

This film was released in the middle of a major career apex for Wesley. Starting in 1989, he made a string of high-profile movies, starting with 'Major League', 'Mo Better Blues', then 'New Jack City', 'Jungle Fever', 'White Men Can't Jump', 'Passenger 57' and 'Demolition Man' - all in a span of about four years.

Answer: The Spot Lite

There are a number of key scenes that take place in the Spot Lite, including the tense confrontation with Frankie Needles and his Mafia cronies. There are also some hilariously dated scenes of 80s dance moves, and even a song by flash-in-the-pan R&B group Guy - who were introduced in the movie by Fab 5 Freddy (at the time an MTV VJ).

Answer: Reagan Era

Nino says this during a scene when he assembles a group of people who will help him launch his criminal empire. He follows this immediately by saying, "They're running a strange program, y'all. More poor and disenfranchised folks than this place has ever seen." Nino goes on to say that people want to escape their problems, and helping them to escape will make the Cash Money Brothers rich.

Answer: Chris Rock

This was one of Chris Rock's earliest film roles, and his performance as Pookie is impressive. His character goes through the throes of addiction, then gets clean by going through rehabilitation. He then becomes a police informer in an attempt to bring down the drug syndicate run by Nino Brown.

Answer: Stone

I chose to use this quote since it is the only time in the movie when the phrase "new jack" is used an adjective to describe something. This scene shows Sgt. Stone (Mario Van Peebles) arguing with the Police Commissioner about the need to assign some street-wise cops to a task force specifically aimed at stopping Nino Brown.

Answer: A small statue of a jockey with a rope around its neck

The Mob is unhappy that they are cut out of the deal by Nino, and they want to send him a message. But Nino sends them a message right back, including smashing the jockey statue over Frankie's head and then cutting off his ponytail. In retaliation, the Mafioso unsuccessfully attempt to assassinate Nino at a wedding shortly thereafter.

Answer: Stabbing one of his employees in the hand

Nobody in the room wants to tell Nino exactly what happened or how the police were able to infiltrate their operation. He expresses disgust that "a million-dollar-a-week business" has been "reduced to rubble". Finally, in a fit of rage, Nino stabs Kareem - played by R&B singer Christopher Williams - through the back of the hand with a knife that has been concealed in Nino's walking stick.

Answer: The world is mine.

This must be inspired by 'Scarface', since it features prominently in that film - first Tony Montana sees the phrase on a passing blimp, and then he has a globe in the entryway of his mansion with that phrase flashing across it. Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal even created a company at one point called TWISM (an acronym for 'The World is Mine'), since Shaq was such a fan of the movie 'Scarface'.

Answer: Shot and killed by an angry old man

Nino cuts himself a sweetheart deal to get out of serving any serious time, but he doesn't get out of facing some 'street justice'. The old man who shoots Nino is seen a number of times earlier in the film - early on, in the police station, he's complaining to a duty sergeant about the fact that the CMB have taken over an entire tenement building; later the same man pulls a gun on Nino as he is giving money away to poor citizens and accuses him of "poisoning his own people." Nino and his crew laugh at him, but the old man gets the last laugh in the end.