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

Before the drive-by shooting at the end of the film, Illena's cousin is seen loading an Uzi machine pistol, and when the shooting is about to begin, he aims this gun out of the car window. However, when the shooting actually starts, he has changed over to a TEC-9, a completely different type of machine pistol.

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Quotes

Caine: First I get shot, then you're gonna drive me home? Somebody must want me to die.

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Connections

Referenced in The Boondocks: Thank You for Not Snitching (2007)

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Soundtracks

"SLOW DANCE (HEY MR. DJ) INSTRUMENTAL"
Written by R. Kelly, T. Blatcher, M. Jefferson
Performed by R. Kelly and Public Announcement
Courtesy of Jive Records

User Reviews

The Best Hood Film I Have Ever Seen

If you like action dramas, this is definitely the film for you. I have watched this film several times since I bought it, and I don't do that with many movies. It shows what it is really like for teenagers growing up in the ghetto.

The movie takes place in LA, where Caine, O-Dog, Sharif, and the rest of they're crew trying to grow up in the Ghetto without getting shot. It deals with everything that is happening in the world with teens in the hood: Pregnancy, Drive-by's, Drug Addiction, and many other things.

What I like about this film, is that it is exactly what it's supposed to be. It does not show people getting shot every 2 minutes and showing the kids smoking weed in every scene, because it's not like that in real life. This shows exactly how everything goes down. Nothing more, nothing less.

Check it out. You can get it at Wal-Mart for a good price.