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Rating: 5 out of 5
Boyz n the Hood is one of the most iconic and legendary black films in America and the film industry. A film that explores what it was and maybe still like growing up in South Central Los Angeles. The impact of this film has been legendary with launching many film careers, having the storytelling of what life was like in South Central through rap lyrics, and showing the difference in living in black America versus white America. The film is intense and shows that gang life isn’t all that cracked up to be. Hell, this movie for years still has me scared of living in South Central Los Angeles.
Boyz n the Hood was written and directed by the late and great John Singleton. Singleton shows the social problems of inner-city Los Angeles and takes you on an adventure of three friends growing up together in the “hood.” In 1984, in Inglewood, ten-year-old Jasin “Tre” Styles III lived with his single mother, Reva Devereaux (Bassett). After Tre fights another student, Reva receives a phone call from his teacher, who explains that Tre is brilliant but lacks maturity and respect. Fearing for her son’s future and thinking she will end up in jail or dead, Reva sends Tre to live with his strict, no-bullshit father, Jason “Furious” Styles Jr. (Fishburne), in Crenshaw. In Crenshaw, Tre reunites with his childhood friends Darrin “Doughboy” Baker, Doughboy’s half-brother Ricky, and their friend Chris. Furious makes Tre clean the yard, and that night, Tre fires at a robber for trying to rob his house. The next day, Tre and Furious return from a fishing trip to see Doughboy and Chris being arrested for theft. Seven years later, Tre (Gooding, Jr.) is an educated teenager preparing for college. Ricky (Chestnut) is a star football player hoping to land a scholarship at a university. Doughboy (Cube) is a recently released small-time criminal who has been in and out of jail. As the three teens go through life, the dangerous life in the neighborhood might destroy all their dreams with a stray bullet.
You must give props and praise to John Singleton. This was his feature film debut writing and directing, and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director at the young age of 24. This made him the first African American and youngest person ever nominated for that award. Singleton presented and showed how life was in South Central. Singleton wrote the film based on his own life and those he knew. Nothing like inspiration from your own life to tell the backstory. He used some of Stephen King’s Stand by Me with the boys finding a dead body, but that was normal at the time in South Central.
The story has many themes in it that should be further explored. For one, it is the crime and life in South Central. The rap group N.W.A explained life in South Central with their rap lyrics and showed what life was like at the time. Singleton displayed on-screen and showed that life is hard with gangs, drugs, and death. Singleton showed the different paths of three friends with three different futures. One theme is raising a child in a single-family home. Even though Tre has both parents, his mother sent him to live with his father. Furious is a knowledgeable person who wants the best for his community. The idea of having a man raise a son brings into question if you do need a man. Furious did set Tre right, but the views of sex and having a kid were high. Speaking of sex, seemed like all the main characters had children before eighteen. Is this normal in the Hood? Ricky had a kid, and many seemed to have young children. Giving back to the community and Furious, he gave an intelligent lesson on gentrification. That whole speech was relevant today to the building of the stadiums. It is a lesson that everyone should listen to because no matter what, it will happen repeatedly.
The film shows gang life in the city and how a situation quickly turns sour. During a street gathering, a Crenshaw Mafia Bloods member named Ferris provokes Ricky, who in turn calls out the members. When everyone comes to Ricky’s defense, Doughboy confronts Ferris, shows his handgun, and asks if they have a problem. You think things have calmed down until Ferris fires his weapon in the air. You believe life moves on, but the film climaxes with Ferris gunning down Ricky in a horrible way. The scene is sad as Ricky finally gets the SAT score needed for his scholarship. You think the cycle will repeat itself with a vengeance from Doughboy and Tre. Tre makes the intelligent decision, but Doughboy can’t let the Hood leave him and gets revenge. The cycle of death after death continues.
I don’t want to single out any one person, but everyone did an outstanding job in this film. Boyz n the Hood launched the acting careers of Gooding, Chestnut, and Long. It also launched Ice Cube’s Hollywood career. The film was the first major role for Queen Mother Angela Bassett and Regina King. Looking at everyone with such baby faces is such a joy to watch.
Boyz n the Hood will forever be an iconic film in the black community. It is one of the few films that shows the world of urban life in South Central. The iconic N.W.A brought you into the world with the lyrics, and John Singleton showed you what life was like. Singleton did an outstanding job with his first film and will be remembered. Watch this film and learn about Tre, Ricky, and Doughboy. We do not have a problem.
BONUS CLIP!!!
