TV Pick 2006: Juice, City War on ProSieben

Friday night on ProSieben: On September 15, 2006, the site offered a TV tip for the late-night schedule. In the night from Friday, September 22, to Saturday, the network was scheduled to air Juice, City War at 1:30 a.m. Along with it came a brief synopsis of the film, which was released under that title in Germany.

Four Friends in Harlem: Tupac’s First Major Film Role

The film premiered on January 17, 1992. For Ernest R. Dickerson, until then primarily known as Spike Lee’s cinematographer, it was his directorial debut. Juice tells the story of four teenagers from Harlem: Quincy “Q” Powell (Omar Epps), who wants to make a career as a DJ, Raheem (Khalil Kain), Steel (Jermaine Hopkins), and Roland Bishop, played by Tupac. After a robbery that ends fatally, the crew falls apart, and Bishop becomes increasingly violent and unpredictable.

Filming took place in Harlem in the spring of 1991. For Tupac, at that time known primarily as a member of Digital Underground, Bishop was his first major film role. His portrayal of the unraveling friend made him recognized as an actor virtually overnight.

$20 Million at the Box Office and a Role That Stuck

Whether the broadcast aired as scheduled could no longer be verified today through a program archive. Juice itself was already a success in 1992: on a budget of around $5 million, the film grossed about $20 million. Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars and described it as a story with the quality of a nightmare. The soundtrack reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and achieved gold status.

In Tupac’s filmography, Juice ranks among his best-known films. Juice was followed by roles in Poetic Justice (1993), Above the Rim (1994), Gridlock’d, and Gang Related (both 1997). Yet it was the role of Bishop that shaped the image many viewers had of him-partly because it was often confused with his real-life persona.