Movies

Extremely brutal, but gripping and compelling story of a volatile, alienated young teenager (Turner) growing up in the violent atmosphere of the L.A. Watts District and—against the advice of family and friends—makes no effort to transcend the harshness and ignorance of his surroundings, instead choosing to head down a dead-end path. Violent, almost unbearable at times, but faultlessly acted by the cast, and filled with powerful, authentic scenes. Tate is an absolute powerhouse as Turner's younger, impulsive, and extremely cold-blooded pal. Obviously not for all tastes, but a monumental achievement regardless, thanks to a superior cast of actors. ***½

The Hughes brothers made quite a splash with this film, making one of the best inner city films since Boys in the Hood. While I didn't care much for the voice overs, the ending to the film proved to be bone chilling, especially after becoming so close to the characters who were killed. I felt Larenz Tate did an excellent job in his role as O-Dog. While too many people focused on the violence in the movie, it really wasn't the focal point. It was really more about how the characters were conditioned, how they became used to the concept to random violence. A solid film with some great performances.

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-