A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
- Allen Hughes(story)
- Albert Hughes(story)
- Tyger Williams(story)
- Stars
- Grocery Store Woman
- (as June Kyoko Lu)
- Man #2
- (as James Pickins Jr.)
- Teacher
- (as Nancy Cheryl Davis)
- Ronnie
- (as Jada Pinkett)
- Allen Hughes(story)
- Albert Hughes(story)
- Tyger Williams(story) (screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaProduction was shut down for two days when members of the Hacienda Village Bloods (HVB) shot up the set in Jordan Downs (a housing project area, and a place considered Crip territory).
- GoofsDuring 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 Lawson reflecting after being shot]
Caine: After stomping Ilena's cousin like that, I knew I was gonna have to deal with that fool someday. Damn. I never thought he'd come back like this, blasting. Like I said, it was funny like that in the hood sometimes. I mean, you never knew what was gonna happen, or when. I'd done too much to turn back, and I'd done too much to go on. I guess in the end it all catches up with you. My grandpa asked me one time if I care whether I live or die. Yeah, I do. Now it's too late.
- Alternate versionsThe Criterion Collection director's cut on LaserDisc includes the following additional footage:
- An extra shot of bullets leaving the back of the guy Samuel L. Jackson kills
- An extra shot of Awax holding the gang member while he shoots him
- An small scene showing how Caine and O Dog brake into the car in the garage
- Two extra shots of bullet wounds during the final scene
- It also includes two deleted scenes; the funeral of Caine's cousin and a scene at his grandparents' house after the funeral
Tyrin Turner does a great job portraying his character. As a young boy on the edge of adulthood and just out of high school, Caine has no direction in life, and even has trouble answering whether he cares if he lives or dies. The many close-ups show his confusion at times and at others, his indifference to violence, implying his slow immersion into becoming like O-Dog. O-Dog is represented as a bit of a psychopath with no remorse or conscience for life. It takes little to set him off and Tate does a fantastic job of portraying this terrifying character.
This film is well made and the directing shows it. The Hughes Brothers perfectly place juxtapositions of scenes together for maximum impact. The flashback comes in the beginning and establishes Caine's back story while creating sympathy for him. The composition of shots too are done nicely, and complements the way the characters tend to travel in groups.
There is a lot of violence in this though, and it serves to show a realistic representation but can be very brutal. As mentioned before, it takes very little to upset O-Dog and turn him loose. The swearing is also very apparent and not one sentence goes by without them. Sometimes whole conversations go by with just cursing.
Overall a very powerful representation of ghetto society, where importance is on staying together and protecting one's own. Masculinity is also obviously a very big issue as they constantly try to assert themselves through aggression and cursing.
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- nicolechan916
- Oct 4, 2015
IMDb Best of 2022
IMDb Best of 2022
Details
Box office
- 1 hour 37 minutes
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