Review of Menace II Society (1993) by David R — 16 Jan 2008

This is one hell of a movie - straight up. The Hughes Brothers, twins Allen and Albert, made their splash with 1993's "Menace II Society" during the neo-blaxploitation era of the early 1990s with this ultra-bloody ghetto fantasy that paints a world that is literally and figuratively narrow for its main protagonist Caine (the brilliant Tyrin Turner).

Similar territory about the Los Angeles 'hood was covered in John Singleton's far superior "Boyz N the Hood" (1991) and while I personally consider that the better film of the two, "Menace II Society" is far braver, both in performances and subject matter.

As a young black male who was raised in the Virginia suburbs, I can't relate personally to the 'hood experience, but being a black male I can definitely relate to the plight and dangers facing other young men my age.

In the film, Caine has just graduated high school, albeit barely, since he spends most of his time running loose on the streets and getting into serious trouble. The L.A. 'hood is sucking Caine into a vortex of crime, while he is tugged toward the positive by his religious, Bible-quoting grandparents and a friend named Ronnie (Jada Pinkett), whose jailed boyfriend was Caine's street-wise mentor.

But the streets are still holding a number of alluring and dangerous temptations for Caine, despite the testimonies of been-there-and-done-it veterans such as Bill Duke and Charles S. Dutton. He is being pulled toward this downward spiral largely because of his inner-circle of friends, the worst of which is sociopathic best pal O-Dog (Larenz Tate); O-Dog is described as "America's nightmare - young, black, and didn't give a f**K.

" In the film's opening sequence (which certainly got audiences and critics rightfully stirred up), O-Dog executes a Korean shopkeeper and his wife after the man makes an objectionable comment.

While "Boyz N the Hood" can be considered "positive," then by that same token "Menace II Society" has to be the negative, which I think is a flawed view point of this film.

"Menace" is simply the flipside, the world not seen in "Boyz," where many young men aren't so lucky and become victims of the oppressive American system of justice meant to be especially hard on young black men, as well as the violent streets of inner-city America.

The Hughes Brothers haven't really been able to top this picture, not even with later entries such as the heist-drama "Dead Presidents" (1995) and the comic book adaptation "From Hell" (2001).

Despite occasional script problems, "Menace II Society" remains a powerful film experience with a commanding cast of actors who know their material just a little too well.