Search - Boyz 'N the Hood

Director John Singleton's debut chronicles the trials and tribulations of three young African-American males growing up in South Central Los Angeles. When young Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a bright underachiever, begins to show signs of trouble, his struggling professional mother (Angela Basset) sends him to live with his father (Lawrence Fishburne), a hard-nosed, no-nonsense disciplinarian. There he befriends Ricky (Morris Chestnut), a burgeoning football star, and Doughboy (Ice Cube, in a standout performance), a would-be gang banger. Over the years, each chooses his own path: Tre seems bound for college; Ricky is a blue-chip running back with his pick of schools; Doughboy is a dope dealer and bona fide gangster who drifts in and out of the county juvenile facility. All is well until, without warning, a rival gang chases down Tre and Ricky with tragic results. Doughboy immediately prepares for revenge, forcing Tre to decide whether to jeopardize his future and, perhaps, his life for the price of revenge and self-respect. Sometimes riveting, Boyz'N the Hood is not without its problems. The film tries to cram every single issue facing the black community into an hour and a half of screen time, making the film seem at times forced. The symbolism seems forced as well, and the film is often unbearably heavy-handed. Also, the characterization often relies on cardboard cut-outs; every white character in the film is a one-dimensional bigot, and the black police officer with whom Tre and his father deal is even worse than his Caucasian counterparts. Still, the unevenness of the film is redeemed by some moments of true brilliance. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Cuba Gooding, Jr. - Tre Styles
Morris Chestnut - Ricky Baker
Ice Cube - Doughboy
Angela Bassett - Reva Styles
Laurence Fishburne - Furious Styles
Nia Long - Brandi

1991	Best Director (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	John Singleton
1991	Best Original Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	John Singleton
1991	Best New Director (winner)	New York Film Critics Circle	John Singleton

John Singleton's intensely powerful Boyz 'N the Hood is another film that deserves more than it gets on DVD. This disc does include both a full frame and preferred widescreen transfer, framed at 1.85:1 and anamorphic, but neither looks spectacular. Dark scenes are solid and hold up well, with no breakdown, but the remainder of the film often seems soft and lacking in detail. This could be the fault of either the film's low budget or a lackluster authoring job. The sound is also somewhat weak, with an English Dolby Digital surround track that is hallow most of the time, and never shows any sort of dynamic range. Also available are surround tracks in Spanish and French, with subtitles in all of the same languages. As for extra materials, this disc offers nothing more than a trio of trailers, all with a Cuba Gooding Jr. theme, one for this film, and also for As Good As It Gets and Jerry Maguire. With such a powerful directing debut, where is a commentary from Singleton? Likewise, with a subject so controversial (at least when it was originally released), why not a documentary, if not on the making of the film, then on the real situation in respect to gangs? There is so much that could have been done, all one can do is hope for the almost inevitable special edition. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide

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