Above the Rim
Tags: violence, murder

Plot synopsis:
Kyle Watson (Duane Martin) is a talented basketball player who is about to graduate from high school. While he waits to find out if he will receive a scholarship to Georgetown University, he finds himself in a difficult dilemma over a playground basketball tournament. He must decide whether to play for and follow his widely beloved basketball coach or Birdie (Tupac Shakur), a local thug in the neighborhood. Thomas "Shep" Sheppard (Leon Robinson), a former standout player himself, now works as a high school security guard. Kyle feels resentment towards the security guard, because Kyle's own mother is falling in love with Shep.
Coincidentally, Kyle's coach also wants Shep to coach his team when he feels it is time for him to retire. It is later revealed to Kyle that Shep is Birdie's older brother. Kyle makes a decision to run with Birdie's team until he decided to come back to his old team, because of Birdie's wrongful actions against Flip (Bernie Mac) and Kyle's friend Bugaloo (Marlon Wayans). In the tournament, both Kyle's and Birdie's teams march to the finals, with Kyle's team playing solid team basketball, while Birdie's team plays a very thuggish style. Before the finals, Birdie threatens Kyle, demanding Kyle to throw away the game, so that Birdie's team would win. Kyle is brutalized throughout the game, with Birdie's team having a solid lead, and is injured. Shep, unable to watch anymore, steps in the game in Kyle's place - despite being aggressively attacked throughout, Shep helps the team come back, and in the final seconds, passes the ball to Kyle, who hits the game winner. After the loss, Birdie orders Motaw (Wood Harris), his star player and gang member, to kill Kyle. Shep protects Kyle and is shot, while Motaw is shot dead by security. Birdie is later killed by Bugaloo as revenge for previous humiliations. In the end, Kyle is revealed to have gotten the scholarship to Georgetown University - during a televised game, Kyle hits the game winner, while a recovered Shep watches with a smile.

Review: 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.
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.
Tupac was the ruthless street hustler and the coach of a dirty playing basketball team.
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..
Here you have a star studded cast which features Duane Martin, Tonya Pinkins,Marlon Wayans,Bernie Mac,Leon and the late great rapper/actor Tupac Shakur(2Pac).
Here you can see why Tupac was highly respected not only as a celebrated gangsta rapper,but also a great actor with an impaccable skill and broad range and here in this movie you see why.
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.
It was a movie set in the East Coast, but Tupac was a stand out star, and the entire soundtrack was done by Death Row. Shakur gave a great performance through out, along with Dwayne Martin.
I was expecting it to be a basketball movie set that just happens to be in the hood, but no.
Should be a good watch for fans of hood movies, fans of basketball, or both..
The cast, the plot, the basketball all come 2getha 4 an absolute stunner of a film.
The Medina/Pollack influence is clear (Fresh Prince), the film offers a realistic portrayal of life in the hood.Wayans is on a mental one the entire film, while Leon gives a far more sombre, dark performance as the traumatised player who could have had it all.Tupac......Tupac is Tupac and it don't get any better (or realer) than that.
The film is a bout a young basketball player who goes through a lot of trouble in his last year as a high school star point guard.
Its a good screenplay, directed well, with great basketball scenes as well.
The film, Above The Rim is no Star Wars, It's just a darker version of "White Men Can't Jump" with more creativity on the well developed basketball dribbling and dunks visuals.
The subtle use of basketball as a view into the street culture of America, is unique and original to this movie.
Kyle Lee Watson (Duane Martin) is the star basketball player at his high school, but his overly developed ego limits him from reaching his full potential.
However via trials and tribulations he slowly starts finding the right path, in some part thanks to an unwilling mentor in the form of the school security guard Shep (Leon), who used to be NBA material, until one day tragically (and unintentionally comically) his best friend plummets to his death after trying to dunk.
His brother on the other hand is local badboy Birdie (Tupac Shakur), who took to crime after Shep bailed out on the family.Despite B-movie credentials the presence of Tupac Shakur seems to have torpedoed the popularity of "Above the Rim".
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.
Kyle falls under Birdie's influence.This movie starts with a ridiculous scene.
One of the better urban basketball movies....
Duane Martin does a nice job of portraying Kyle Lee Watson, a highly recruited high school basketball player, and Tupac Shakur (as Birdie) is as stellar as he always was.
The end basketball sequence is a very good one, having many actual New York City Playground Legends come in and just show their stuff for the movie.
Yo was sup I'm telling u man I saw watched this movie about 3 times on the day I got it- Christmas 2005 and the only reason I would have done that is because it is the best movie on planet earth, yeah I'm prepared to make that statement, damn man this movie is tight man and it stars the late Tupac who is a better actor than I would have expected man I seriously think the guys in this movie must have played basketball at a high level cause you ain't gonna teach actors to play ball THAT GOOD.
They definitely did a good job at making this movie and I would advise all Basketball lovers to watch this movie trust me you will absolutely love this movie and not to mention the gangsterous soundtrack which completely sets the mood for many of the scenes, it's a shame that Pain by 2pac is unreleased and is only on the casette version of the soundtrack as it is a GREAT song.
Good basketball movie.
Rated R for Language and Some Violence Above The Rim is one of the few films rapper Tupac Shakur was featured in.This is the second film of his that I have seen, the other being Juice which was also a great film.Not many rappers are good actors(look at 50 Cent in Get Rich Or Die Trying, even though I liked the film, 50 Cent wasn't a very good actor).But Tupac is a great actor in both films and probably in all the other films he was featured in.Above The Rim is a basketball film about a young promising basketball star who meets this security guard who used to be an all star on the team he was in.The man's brother(Tupac) is a drug dealer.The film basically shows his relationship with the two and how the security guard is dating his mother.Because of this and other reasons, he dislikes him at first but then starts liking him.The film also stars Marlon Wayans who provides the comic relief in this film and Bernie Mac as a bum who knew the security guard.Above The Rim has good performances and is overall a good film.I would say just as good as "Juice"..
Above the Rim (1994) ** (out of 4)Kyle (Duane Martin) is an intelligent black kid who is growing up in a rough neighborhood but he might have a way out when he gets some interest from various college scouts.
Kyle's friend gets him involved with a drug dealer named Birdie (Tupac Shakur) who offers him some great stuff but he doesn't realize what might be connected to it.When you look back at the early 90s, Hollywood was cranking out a lot of urban dramas thanks in large part to the sucess of BOYZ N THE HOOD.
These urban dramas look at a variety of situations so it was only a matter of time before the basketball courts became the plot and the end result is ABOVE THE RIM.I don't think there's any doubt that the filmmakers had their hearts in the right place but the movie just doesn't work as well as it should have.
The film and the characters basically play out as you'd expect them to so there's really nothing here that keeps the drama up.The one saving grace are the performances, which include nice work from Martin, Leon and Marlon Wayans.
This movie revolved around two people, a kid in high school who's dream is to play in the NCAA for the Georgetown Hoyas, and an older adult who was on his way to the NBA, but now refuses to pick up a basketball and is in deep depression due to a past event (that you will see right at the beginning of the movie).
but everything pieces itself together at the end.I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes basketball, dramas or 'hoodtales..
In this one, Shep (Leon) has nightmares of the time his buddy Nutso (Matthew Guletz) was killed when they played basketball on the roof of an apartment.
Several years later, he becomes a guard for various high school basketball games in which one Kyle Lee Watson (Duane Martin) is the star player who's in danger of becoming too arrogant for his own good to the chagrin of his coach Rollins (David Bailey) and his mother Mailika (Tonya Pinkins).
In addition, he and his friend Bugaloo (Marlon Wayans) are hangin' with a drug dealer named Birdie (Tupac Shakur) who we find out is Shep's brother.
I'll stop there and just say this was quite a compelling drama with some humorous scenes involving both Mac and Marlon, not to mention Iris Little Thomas as a waitress who tries to come on to Shep.
I watched this movie while working out on the treadmill, and it's great for that.Tupac's performance wasn't quite up to what I expected, I'm sorry to say.
Perhaps I would have felt differently if I had seen the movie at the time of its original release, or at least before seeing the wonderful Tupac Resurrection.
A good movie for any basketball fan.
this is a good movie.i saw it first back round 95' and i have seen it over 10 times since.
im personaly strugglin tryin to get a basketball scholarship and this movie gives u  a real life view of what the road to get there is like.
even if u dont like basketball this movie is still a good 7 or 8.
the best part of this movie is hearing about birdies brother who had a real shot of going somewhere with basketball when a childhood accident distroys everything.
if you like this movie and like basketball you will love "HOOP DREAMS".these are my 2 favorite movies of all time and i think youll like em 2.
for one it's a good story about talent being corrupted by the street game, nicely directed good performances from Duane Martin, Leon, Bernie Mac, Wood Harris and the late Tupac Shakur.
Marlon Wayans is used in a good way in this movie, he was pretty interesting.
Jeff Pollack knew what he was doing directing the basketball scenes.Great movie.
This has to be one of my favourite films of all time,2pac,Marlon Wayans,Duane Martin show their acting ability's in this film and would recommend it to any one that is a fan of Pac, Marlon,Duane and basket ball or just wants to watch a real good movie.
I can watch this 5 times in one day and it will still be as good as the first time i ever saw it.its a comedy/drama some serious and funny moments in this movie and is good from start to finish,it keeps you thinking and unpredictable to what might happen next and thats how good it is...the movie is about a teenager who can have a basket ball scholarship to collage but ends up throwing' it all away for money cars,and woman promised by birdy(2pac) a gangster leader but it ends it bad results.the soundtrack is as good as the movie i recommend you buy it,You can purchase it on ebay or most music stores in city's..recommend it 100% !!!!!!.
One of the best Basketball movies.
I mean a real basketball player can tell when someone is playing or pretending to play and this movie did a pretty good job on that element.
An overall good movie to watch..
Is a street movie, integrated with the hoop dreams of high-school phenom.
Pac, in the movie plays the main bad guy in the movie Birdie, a very manipulative character, with a very dark side, dude slashes a bum to death with a razor from this tongue, played by Bernie Mac, for talking smack about him.
The hoops in the movie is raw, some real ballers, not some white men old man that can't even ball, and disgraces the game of basketball.
Kyle Watson on the other hand is a high school basket baller that if he plays his cards right will avoid the same fate as Tommy Shepard.Recognizable cast as well.
This is perhaps Duane Martins and Leons best performance ever..
Above the Rim. There was a time (the 90's) when films like this were all the rage.
These films were seen as hardcore, edgy, brutal, gritty etc...They exposed the real urban experience of what life was like 'in da hood'.
Having lived most of my young life in entirely white populated areas throughout the 80's, when the 90's hit with movies like this it was indeed a real eye-opener for me.
It follows the young high school basketball star Kyle (Duane Martin) as he trains and plays his balls off to try and make it to Georgetown University on a scholarship.
In the meantime there is a small local streetball tournament coming up and he must choose between playing for his coaches team or his so-called friend (and gangster) Birdie (Tupac Shakur).So basically what you have here is the local high school sports star, the golden boy, facing a tough moral decision whether to play for his aging (white) coach; or increase his street cred and play for the local gangster (who has his own streetball team).
In the middle is the high school security guard Thomas 'Shep' Sheppard (Leon) who just happens to be the high school's old basketball star from back in the day but got jailed for accidentally killing his best friend (in a really ridiculous way I might add).
Kyle getting slowly lured to the dark side by Birdie as he tries to get him to play for his baddie team.
Kyle's high school coach pisses him off so he decides to play for the evil Birdie.
Kyle shocked by Birdie decides to return to his coaches school team.
This is all explained in one scene which is pretty much the highlight of Shakur's performance amidst lots of stereotypical gangsta acting.Alas the rest of the plot is a bit light and at times daft.
I guess Birdie has his own streetball team because he likes basketball?
The worst offender is Leon who's character is supposed to be a bitter, introverted and somewhat sullen man; but often comes across like an actor desperately trying not to smile in his scenes.
The corny dialog doesn't help things either.I think the worst thing about this film is the horrendously cringeworthy moment when Shep heroically strides onto the court in the tournament final to play against Birdie's team when the good guys are on the brink of defeat.
The entire movie wrapped up in the perfect little bow of good morals.The film is obviously of its time.
Above the Rim tells a story of a promising basketball player in high school who is torn between his relationships that could ultimately affect his decision in the future especially when there is a great possibility of slipping into crime.It stars Duane Martin,Leon Robinson,Tupac Shakur,Bernie Mac,Tonya Pinkins,David Bailey and Marlon Wayans.The screenplay was written and directed by Jeff Pollack with Barry Michael Cooper and Benny Medina acting as co- writers.Kyle Watson is a talented basketball player who is about to graduate from high school.
While waiting for the decision of whether Georgetown University will provide him a full scholarship or not,he gets into difficult dilemma in a playground basketball tournament.He is conflicted by a decision as to whether play or not for his beloved coach Birdie,who happens to have great influence on his life and is known as a thug in the neighborhood who is pressuring him to join his gang.Also,he gets into deep resentment towards Thomas "Shep" Shepherd,a failed star basketball player as he ended up as a security guard at a high school where Kyle is studying.As the movie progresses,we learn not only of Kyle but also about the characters that surround him.While the story can be considered both formulaic and melodramatic,it would definitely be a threat for basketball fans as it contains a lot of great basketball action scenes.Also,the characters in the story are considered compelling and interesting enough as the cast were able to provide great performances that provides depth to them that somehow overcomes average script.Special mention should be given to the late Tupac Shakur,who definitely is a wonderful actor.And who can forget the soundtrack especially those whoa re fan of rap music?Overall,it is one of the 90's movies that one would surely enjoy at present while this review is being written..
Above the Rim. Very clichéd and dated gangster/basketball flick set in NY as a young black teen tries to get a basketball scholarship whilst battling against a local thug and his former basketball star brother who is now a security guard at their high school.Everyone in this film is a walking cliché.
Shakur is yet another gangster (he couldn't do anything else...useless), Wayans is annoying and camp as usual, Duane Martin is the annoying loud mouth cocky star player and Leon is the quiet dark horse and probably the best thing in the film.
Thing is back in the day these movies were popular and deemed fresh gritty realistic stories from the hood, showing the middle/rich classes life on the street and how blacks youths were badly treated.
But hey that's just my thoughts, maybe I'm a bit out of touch too.The only decent thing in the whole film is the small segments of basketball and the competition at the finale which does show some good genuine skills.
To be honest I think one of the reasons this movie gets a bad rap is bcz of its lead character, Leon as "Shep".
Kyle AND his mom, coach, Bobby,OF COURSE Tupac, Motaw (I'm a soldier.....a SOLDIER!!), Bugaloo (u need a role model...), and TOTALLY UNSUNG in the movie is Bernie Mac as Flip (daffy duck with his beak blown off).
Then I thought Shep wouldn't make it...I was wrong on both accounts.Anyways great movie...I like Leon, I just think maybe he's too confident himself as a person to play someone who's supposed to be WEAK (at first at least).