Menace II Society (1993)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

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:

Street | Ghetto | High School | Black Dialect | Los Angeles California

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 19	9:00 PM	BET
Fri. Nov. 20	1:00 AM	BET

Cast

Tyrin Turner	...	Caine
Larenz Tate	...	O-Dog
June Kyoto Lu	...	Grocery Store Woman (as June Kyoko Lu)
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 #2 (as James Pickins Jr.)
Nancy Cheryll Davis	...	Teacher (as Nancy Cheryl Davis)
Jullian Roy Doster	...	Anthony
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Ronnie (as Jada Pinkett)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, drug use and language.; Rated R for strong bloody violence, drug use and pervasive language. (director's cut)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Iceland:16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | USA:R (certificate #45390) (director's cut) | 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:

Tupac Shakur was originally attached to play Sharif, but was fired after a physical fight with director Allen Hughes.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Reflected in the security mirror as O-Dog drags the lady into the back room.

Quotes:

Caine: My father sold dope and my mother was a heroin addict. Moms and Pops were real popular in the neighborhood. They would always be giving parties for friends of theirs who just got out of jail or was on their way to jail. They only got married 'cause I was born...

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)

Soundtrack:

DEATH BECOMES YOU

Intense and Graphic to the core

The first ten minutes of one of the most graphically violent films of 1993,the urban drama from the debut directors Allen and Albert Hughes' "Menace II Society" begins with a teenaged boy named Caine(Tyrin Turner)watches as his friend and gangbanger O-Dog(Larenz Tate)coldblooded with no remorse what so ever gunned down a innocent Korean couple who runs a Liquor Shop in Watts,a suburban part of South Central Los Angeles,California. Unlike his friend O-Dog,Caine Lawson wants to leave his way of life,but he can't see a way out of a gang lifestyle that may either have him send to prison or be killed. Fellow gang member Sharif(Vonte Sweet)is the son of a teacher,Mr. Butler(Charles S. Dutton),who lets Caine know that education is one way out. Another gang member Stacy(Ryan Williams),receives a scholarship to play football at the University of Kansas,and he asks Caine to go with him. And Caine's girlfriend,Ronnie(Jada Pinkett-Smith),tries to persuade Caine to moved to Atlanta with her. Despite these possibilities,Caine has been worn down by a life filled with guns and drugs,violence and death. Unsurprisingly,he's fatalistic about his life,if he ever has a chance to HAVE a future,but if he wants to make a change in his life is one way out of a hellish world of the ghetto.

The directorial debut of Albert and Allen Hughes,who are twins were only 21 years of age when they made this film. However,the film was a huge success and became a winner in so many ways making their equally compelling follow-up film,1995's "Dead Presidents",again starring Larenz Tate,who became a superstar in his feature film debut in "Menace II Society" and from here gives one of the most shockingly electrifying performances ever displayed in a motion picture. His character of O-Dog was just that....menacing to the point and extremely raw. This movie may audiences squirm in their seats when they went to see this film,due to the huge amount of disturbing images of realistic bloodletting,explicitly graphic content and strong intense violence,and the raging sound of its raw persuasive language which also included scenes of nudity and sexual situations. What makes "Menace II Society" so intense was its deep understanding of each and every character,more than justifies their take-no-prisoners approach to film-making. This was gives the film its sheer intensity that penetrates that insight into the comptemporary society,and this film delivers.

WARNING: The last five to ten minutes of the film is very graphic,and its not for the faint of heart,and when this film came out in 1993,audiences looked at this as one hellva bloodbath!