Menace II Society (1993)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Albert Hughes
Allen Hughes

Writers:

Allen Hughes (story) &
Albert Hughes (story) ...

Release Date:

26 May 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

This is the truth. This is what's real.

Plot:

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Street | Ghetto | Shotgun | Drive By Shooting

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6

11:30 PM

BET

Cast

Tyrin Turner	...	Caine
Larenz Tate	...	O-Dog
June Kyoto Lu	...	Grocery Store Woman (as June Kyoko Lu)
Toshi Toda	...	Grocery Store Man
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Tat Lawson
Anthony Johnson	...	Tony
Brandon Hammond	...	Five Year Old Caine
Glenn Plummer	...	Pernell
Reginald Ballard	...	Clyde
Khandi Alexander	...	Karen Lawson
Eugene Lee	...	Man #1
James Pickens Jr.	...	Man #2 (as James Pickins Jr.)
Nancy Cheryll Davis	...	Teacher (as Nancy Cheryl Davis)
Jullian Roy Doster	...	Anthony
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Ronnie (as Jada Pinkett)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, drug use and language.; Rated R for strong bloody violence, drug use and pervasive language. (director's cut)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Iceland:16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | USA:R (certificate #45390) (director's cut) | Australia:R | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | France:-16

Filming Locations:

Compton Avenue, Watts, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Tupac Shakur was originally attached to play Sharif, but was fired after a physical fight with director Allen Hughes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During Ronnie's party scene, Caine's voice over says that the party was at the end of the summer. During the party Chauncy tells a girl that "me, A-Wax and Caine went to a Lakers game last night." The NBA season starts in November and has no regular games being played at the end of the summer.

Quotes:

Caine: I thought killing those fools would make me feel good, but it really didn't make me feel anything. I just knew that I could kill somebody, and if I had to, I could do it again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Boondocks: A Date with the Health Inspector (#1.5)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

YOU'VE BEEN PLAYED

Shockingly Perfect

This movie is so good, I remember specifically the first time I saw it.

I was 17 years old, hanging out with friends, doing the things 17 year olds and the characters in the movie do, in a friend's backyard. On our way out to a movie theater, I ran up to the entertainment room to grab my jacket. As I entered, I heard the first line of "Menace" from a television which had been left on. In the 30 seconds it took me to put on my jacket, I was drawn into the flick.

As the first scene came to a close, my buddies came looking for me. It didn't take long for them to realize that we wouldn't be going anywhere.

At such an age this movie shocked and excited me. It left me in awe and on the edge of tears.

In my early twenties (and after I'd seen it several times), the movie made me laugh out loud. The clever dialog, even in tenuous situations, is genius. Cheeseburgers, anyone?

Now in my late twenties, I consider this a classic. Take your other gang movies and throw them out the window. Boyz n the Hood is the only one that comes close and that takes itself way too seriously. Everything else is just an imitation of this perfectly woven tale.

As long as you can tolerate the violence and not-so-clean language, check this one out. It's simply brilliant.