Blue Hill Avenue
| Blue Hill Avenue | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Craig Ross Jr. |
| Produced by |
Mike Erwin Bryan Hinds J. Max Kirishima |
| Written by | Craig Ross Jr. |
| Starring |
Allen Payne Angelle Brooks Michael Taliferro William L. Johnson Andrew Divoff Clarence Williams III William Forsythe |
| Narrated by | Allen Payne |
| Music by |
Jan Pomerans Cruel Timothy Lo'ren "Lo Diggs" Dagen Jr |
| Cinematography | Carl Bartels |
| Edited by | Craig Ross Jr. |
Production company |
Asiatic Associates Cahoots Productions Den Pictures |
| Distributed by | Artisan Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Blue Hill Avenue is a 2001 American crime film directed and written by Craig Ross Jr., and starring Allen Payne. Ross Jr. also edited and executive produced the film.
Plot
Four friends—Tristan (the leader), Simon (the right-hand man), E-Bone (the hot head) and Money (the mediator)—are street smart kids growing up in the tough Roxbury section of Boston in the 1980s. Starting out as small-time dope dealers on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, they eventually go to work for Benny, a major player in the Boston crime scene. As the four friends grow up and become the biggest dealers in the city, things become increasingly heated: Tristan's wife wants him to leave the business because she's pregnant, Tristan finds out his sister is hooked on drugs and is alienated from his family, Simon becomes obsessed with a near-death experience and expects to die, cops dog their tracks trying every trick in and out of the book to catch them, and Benny, their main supplier, wants them out of the business for good. Worse, it becomes clear one of the four is trying to sell the others out to the cops. In the end, Tristan faces Benny down, after losing his friends, and is able to get out of the business—and the life—for good.
Cast
- Allen Payne – Tristan
- Angelle Brooks – Martine
- Michael Taliferro – Simon
- William L. Johnson – E. Bone
- Aaron D. Spears – Money
- Andrew Divoff – Detective Tyler
- Richard Lawson – Uncle Rob
- Marlon Young (actor) – Twinkie
- Dee Freeman – Violet
- Gail Fulton Ross – Hazel
- Veronica Redd – Nana
- Anthony Sherwood – Melvin
- MyQuan Jackson – Wren
- Latamra Smith – Nicole
- Brandon Hammond – Young E. Bone
- W.B. Alexander – Young Tristan
- Percy Daggs III – Young Money
- Dana Bair – Young Simon
- Clarence Williams III – Benny
- William Forsythe – Detective Torrance
- Diane Fauteux – Young Martine
- William K. Butler – Big Time
- Chris Thornton – Lathan
- William Springfield – Soul Train
- Pooch Hall – Billy 'Schlep Rock' Brown
- Martin Roach – Uncle Pee Wee
- David Julian Hirsh – Lloyd
- Anthony Nuncio – Jack Escobar
- Nicole McLean – Monica Dahl
- Kenny Robinson – Sam
- Marley Gang - Marley Gang
Awards & nominations
2001 Acapulco Black Film Festival
- Best U.S. Film – Blue Hill Avenue, Craig Ross Jr. (winner)
- Best Independent Actor (Theatrical) – Allen Payne (winner)
- Best Independent Film (Theatrical) – (nominated)
2001 Urbanworld Film Festival
- Best Director – Craig Ross Jr. (winner)
- Best Human On Earth – Dylon Ta-Fari Bennett (Theatrical) – (winner)