Menace II Society (1993)

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:

Blood | Pregnancy | African American Woman | Heroin | Brutality

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Tyrin Turner	...	Caine 'Kaydee' Lawson
Larenz Tate	...	Kevin 'O-Dog'
June Kyoto Lu	...	Grocery Store Woman
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
Nancy Cheryll Davis	...	Teacher
Jullian Roy Doster	...	Anthony
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Ronnie (as Jada Pinkett)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, drug use and language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Canada:R | 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:

Samuel L. Jackson wears the same jeri-curled Afro wig he wore in Pulp Fiction (1994).

Goofs:

Continuity: When a final shootout begins, O-Dog is using a Beretta 92F/FS to shoot back at the rival gang. However, immediately after the shootout ends, the emptied pistol changes to a Glock 17.

Quotes:

[Caine Lawson reflecting after being shot]
Caine: After stomping on Ilena's cousin like that, I knew I was gonna have to deal with that fool someday. Damn! I never thought he'd come back like this, blasting. Like I said, it was funny like that in the hood sometimes. I mean you never knew what was gonna happen or when. I've done too much to turn back, and I've done too much to go on. I guess in the end it all catches up with you. My grandpa asked me one time if I care whether I live or die. Yeah, I do. Now it's too late.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tupac: Resurrection (2003)

Soundtrack:

YOU'VE BEEN PLAYED

The Best Hood Film I Have Ever Seen

If you like action dramas, this is definitely the film for you. I have watched this film several times since I bought it, and I don't do that with many movies. It shows what it is really like for teenagers growing up in the ghetto.

The movie takes place in LA, where Caine, O-Dog, Sharif, and the rest of they're crew trying to grow up in the Ghetto without getting shot. It deals with everything that is happening in the world with teens in the hood: Pregnancy, Drive-by's, Drug Addiction, and many other things.

What I like about this film, is that it is exactly what it's supposed to be. It does not show people getting shot every 2 minutes and showing the kids smoking weed in every scene, because it's not like that in real life. This shows exactly how everything goes down. Nothing more, nothing less.

Check it out. You can get it at Wal-Mart for a good price.