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 20

8:00 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:

Continuity: Sharif raises his hands to ward off blows, despite them being cuffed behind his back before he was put in the back seat of the police car.

Quotes:

Ronnie: You need to be glad that you graduated from high school, and that you're alive at eighteen, and you need to do something with yourself before you end up like he did.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: You Kent Always Say What You Want (#18.22)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

STOP LOOKIN' AT ME

A Powerful and Great film from The Hughes Brothers

Menace II Society is a film of power and a desperate killing spree just in a little neighborhood. The film was very good, on all levels this is sure the best Hughes Brothers film. I've only seen Dead Presidents and From Hell, which I thought were both good movies, but this is The Hughes Brothers best film and this is so far the best ghetto film I've ever seen. There was some flaws but the movie makes it out like there really isn't any. The acting was good, Tyrin Turner, I've never really heard of and Larenz Tate I've see in Dead Presidents. The action was good and the movie was extremely powerful. Overall, this was a very neat ghetto film by The Hughes Brothers.

Hedeen's outlook: 9/10 ***+ A-