Menace II Society (1993)

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

Directors:

Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

Writers:

Allen Hughes (story), Albert Hughes (story),

Stars:

Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

This urban nightmare chronicles several days in the life of Caine Lawson, following his high-school graduation, as he attempts to escape his violent existence in the projects of Watts, CA.

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Plot Keywords:

ghetto | street | high school | homicide | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, drug use and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 May 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Straßenkämpfer

Filming Locations:

7th Ave and Montclair St., Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$27,900,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tupac Shakur was originally cast to play Sharif but was fired which led to a physical fight with Allen Hughes. Shakur was charged with assault and battery. Shakur bragged about the altercation on an appearance on Yo! MTV Raps. A tape of the appearance was played at the trial as evidence against Shakur. Shakur was sentenced to 15 days in jail.

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Goofs

When Cain first meets Illena, he parks his car behind hers, blocking her in. The scene switches to the barbecue where A-Wax and Stacy see Cain talking to Illena. When the scene switches back to Cain and Illena, Cain's car is no longer behind hers.

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Quotes

[A-Wax and Ronnie have brought a wounded friend into the emergency room]
A-Wax: in an emergency room Give us a motherfuckin' doctor!
Nurse #1: You'll have to fill out these forms first.
Jackee: Bitch, fuck the forms! We need a doctor! He's bleeding to death over there!

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Connections

Features It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

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Soundtracks

"DEATH BECOMES YOU"
Written by Pete Rock (as P. Phillips), C.L. Smooth (as C. Penn), T. Guest, K. Guest
Performed by Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth (as CL Smooth)
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment

User Reviews

I thought killing those fools would make me feel good, but it really didn't make me feel anything.

The directorial debut of twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes, Menace II Society is a tough, no nonsense look at youthful black life in the Watts section of Los Angeles. The Hughes Brother's movie charts the hapless life of Caine (Tyrin Turner) as he seeks to escape the ghetto. The son of both a drug dealer (Samuel L. Jackson in a potent appearance) and an addict, Tyrin, surrounded by guns and a machismo culture, is tied to his friends and the way of life afforded him. Even as love and a chance of a way out arises with Jada Pinkett's (terrific) pretty Ronnie, it's doubtful if Tyrin will escape from the revolving door of death.

Menace II Society had a troubled beginning, refused a video certificate on the grounds of its profane language and brutally violent scenes, it has since gone on to be viewed as one of the finer exponents of anti-violence involving Black Americans. That wasn't always the case though, many critics in the 90s were prone to calling it a film that glamorises the lifestyle of "Hood" gangsters, but offered a saver of sorts by correctly saying it had realism in amongst the harshness. Certainly the dialogue and regional slang was refreshing to hear, thus affording "Menace" and its makers praise for keeping it real, so to speak.

Ineviatbly comparisons were (are) drawn with John Singleton's 1991 film, Boyz n the Hood. But although "Menace" is rawer, uncompromising and more visceral with impact, it lacks the intelligence of Singleton's film. Where "Boyz" had fully rounded characters, character with which to hang your hat on to, "Menace" is just a social group of youths we neither know or care about outside of the group, ego driven dynamic. When lead protagonist Tyrin is trying to deal with his inner conflict, we the audience are treated to standard run of the mill melodrama. The streetwise edginess that the Hughes' began their film with (the opening is nigh on horrific) has long since gone as they try to make a film that touches all the bases of Black Americana.

Easily the most realistic of all the ghetto films made, in fact the film at times feels like we are on a documentary drive around downtown Watts. Menace II Society, however brutal it clearly is, has loaded the gun and shot the bullet, only to see it narrowly miss the whole target it was aiming for. Still it's one hell of an experience though. 8/10