Boyz 'N the Hood [Blu-ray]

Director: John Singleton John Singleton

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/19/2011
UPC:	0043396341944
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	R
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00
Sales rank:	18,019

Special Features

Friendly fire: making of an urban legend; Commentary with director John Singleton; Deleted scenes; Audition videos featuring Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut and Tyra Ferrell; Compton's most wanted music video "Growin' Up in the Hood"; Tevin Campbell music video "Just Ask Me To"; The enduring significance of Boyz N the Hood

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ice Cube	Doughboy Baker
Cuba Gooding Jr.	Tre Styles
Morris Chestnut	Ricky Baker
Nia Long	Brandi
Tyra Ferrell	Mrs. Baker
Angela Bassett	Reva Devereaux
Redge Green	Chris
Desi Arnez Hines II	Tre (age 10)
Lexie Bigham	Mad Dog,Actor
Kenneth A. Brown	Little Chris,Brandi (age 10)
Meta King	Brandi's Mom,Shalika
Whitman Mayo	The Old Man
Hudhail Al-Amir	SAT Man
Lloyd Avery II	2nd Knucklehead
Mia Bell	Female Club Member
Ceal	Sheryl
Darneicea Corley	Keisha
John Cothran Jr.	Lewis Crump
Na'Blonka Durden	Trina
Susan Falcon	Mrs. Olaf
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	Officer Coffey
Dedrick D. Gobert	Dooky
Kareem J. Grimes	Ice Cream Truck Kid,Actor
Tammy Hanson	Rosa
Valentino D. Harrison	Bobby (age 10)
Baha Jackson	Doughboy (age 10)
Dee Dee Jacobs	Renee
Kirk Kinder	Officer Graham
Leanear Lane	2nd Gangster
Donovan McCrary	Ricky (age 10)
Don Nelson	1st Gangster
Jimmy Lee Newman	Kid
Malcolm Norrington	1st Knucklehead
Alysia M. Rogers	Shanice
Esther Scott	Tisha's Grandmother,Tisha
Vonte Sweet	Ric Rock
Baldwin C. Sykes	Monster
Raymond D. Turner	Ferris
Yolanda 'Yo-Yo' Whittaker	Yo Yo,Actor
Laurence Fishburne	Furious Styles
John Singleton	Mailman (uncredited)
Lloyd Avery	Actor
John Cothran	Actor
Desi Arrnez Hines	Actor
Stanley Clarke	Composer

Technical Credits

John Singleton

John Singleton	Director,Screenwriter
Steve Nicolaides	Producer
Bob Minor	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Coming two years after Spike Lee's groundbreaking Do the Right Thing, the first movie by African-American director John Singleton was seen as part of the black film movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was the first mainstream movie to deal with gang violence in America's urban ghettos, and its thoughtful approach helped open the door for a number of similarly themed movies in the next few years, including Menace II Society, Fresh, and Juice. Boyz N the Hood stands out because of its honesty and because it successfully humanizes all of the parties involved, including the drug dealers and murderers. The story revolves around three youths who choose to deal with their environment in different ways, and the movie features a two-part structure, which shows their lives when they are children and then when they are on the verge of high school graduation. The central roles are filled well by three newcomers (Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, and Ice Cube), and their dynamic gives the movie its most memorable moments.

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