Boyz 'N The Hood
(1991)
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John Singleton emerged from USC film school with his passionate script already written, and at age 23 he made the film that spawned a score of ghetto dramas. From the opening shot--a sign reading "Stop"--to the final message of "Increase the Peace," Singleton's desire to galvanize his audience is clear. The violence destroying South Central Los Angeles is seen through the eyes of Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.), whose intelligence and common sense would be wasted in the 'hood if not for his father, Furious (Laurence Fishburne), who imparts discipline and responsibility to his son. Tre's friends aren't so lucky, though, especially Doughboy (Ice Cube), who has been in and out of institutions since childhood and now sits on his porch with a forty in his hand and a pistol in his waistband. Singleton is ambitious enough to tackle a host of problems, from African American business practices to the bias of the SAT test, but the real power of the film lies in the performances of its principals. Cuba Gooding, in his first role, doesn't let Tre come off like a goody two-shoes, while Ice Cube gives a tragic nobility to a young man who knows he's doomed. |
Alongside Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, this was the most astonishing and hard-hitting directorial debut of the 1990s. John Singleton was a mere 23 years old when he wrote and directed this powerhouse picture about growing up black in inner-city America. Presenting a rougher and readier view than Spike Lee on the same subject, Singleton largely avoids sermonising in this brutally candid portrait of the realities of LA street life. Cuba Gooding Jr, Morris Chestnut and Ice Cube give impressive performances as the friends for whom the future looks uncertain (if not downright unlikely), while Larry (now Laurence) Fishburne is outstanding as Gooding Jr's disciplinarian father. Credible roles for women are usually at a premium in African-American cinema, but the boys' mothers are beautifully observed and sensitively played by Angela Bassett and Tyra Ferrell. Singleton deservedly received Oscar nominations for both his direction and screenplay.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Episodic in form and over-schematic in its depiction of social difficulties, particularly those caused by absentee fathers, but it holds one's interest throughout.