Fresh

If you think that between Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Societythe whole coming-of-age-in-the-inner-city theme is played out, then meet Sean Nelson's 12-year-old Michael in FRESH (1994, Miramax, R, priced for rental). Beneath his tough-talking, drug-peddling, street-smart veneer is a young, confused kid (nicknamed Fresh), forced by his blighted surroundings to become a man too soon. First-time director Boaz Yakin's complex plot is fueled by a trio of outstanding performances from Samuel L. Jackson (as Fresh's noble chess-whiz dad), Giancarlo Esposito (as the heroin dealer the boy crosses), and Nelson -- whose saucer-size eyes are so heavy with pain at the end of the film that when tears finally splash his cheeks, you'll sigh with relief. A-