Tyrin Turner may not have broken out into stardom as was initially expected, but his work in Menace II Society is one of the more powerful cinematic debuts. The film, from the brother writer-director team of Allen and Albert Hughes, chronicles life in the Los Angeles 'hood. Similar territory was covered in the equally commanding Boyz N the Hood, but what makes this cautionary tale stand out is not only the Hughes brothers' forceful story, (written with their friend, Tyger Williams) and direction, but the naturalness of then-newcomer leads Turner as Caine, Larenz Tate as O-Dog, and Jada Pinkett as Ronnie. They are so credible--occasionally frighteningly so--that the repressive universe of violent ghetto life is captured effectively. Life as portrayed here--and no doubt accurately so--is both figuratively and literally narrow. As a very young boy, Caine witnesses his dad murdered over something inconsequential, and his mom OD. His is a world where respect comes from intimidation, power from violence. Despite his understanding of right and wrong (values passed on by a good friend, his kind grandparents, a caring teacher), his life and its entrapments are too much to overcome. --N.F. Mendoza
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: off the hook Comment: i dont know what everybody else is talkin about but this movie is one of the best and will alwayz be everyone did wonderful in this movie and that's why it will alwayz be one of the best movies Customer Rating: Summary: Great movie. Comment: Take a walk in the lives of some troubled young men on the streets of Cali. It isn't the violence or street action that makes this movie great but the real life of the movie that makes it a great movie. For those who are not aware of the things that goes on in some neighborhoods or the mentality behind the things that are seen on the news this would be a great movie to watch and learn.
Customer Rating: Summary: One of the best Comment: Man this movie is a classic must own. "I'll pay you whn I feel like it" Yall know the rest man I'm tellin you this is a hit!!!! Customer Rating: Summary: Maybe I just can't relate... Comment: I'd heard about this movie from EVERYBODY about how good it was and how much of a classic it was. I'm 24 years old and I didn't see it for the first time until 3 years ago. I'm pretty open to all kinds of movies, but the magic wasn't there for me with this one. Maybe I just need to see it again. Customer Rating: Summary: 5 star movie. Comment: Menace II Society is a very good movie, that has it all. I would say that it's one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.
