| | | Once upon a time in South Central L.A.
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, Dolby Surround Sound, English, Subtitled, French, Spanish
Boyz 'N' The Hood is the critically acclaimed story about three friends growing up in a South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, and of the street life where friendship, pain, danger and love combine to form reality. "The hood" is a place where drive-by shootings and unemployment are rampant. But it is also a place where harmony coexists with diversity, especially for three young men growing up there: Doughboy (Ice Cube), an unambitious drug dealer; his brother Ricky (Morris Chestnut), a college-bound teen age father; and Ricky's best friend Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who aspires to a brighter future beyond "The Hood." In a world where a trip to the store can end in death, the friends have diverse reactions to their bleak surroundings. Tre's resolve is strengthened by a strong father (Larry Fishburne) who keeps him on the right track. But the lessons Tre learns are put to the ultimate test when tragedy strikes close to home, and violence seems like the only recourse.
"Unflinching...always compassionate..." Rita Kempley, Washington Post
"One of the best films of the year..." Joel Siegel, ABC-TV
Editor's Note
John Singleton emerged from USC film school with his passionate script already written, and at age 23 he made the film that spawned a score of ghetto dramas. From the opening shot--a sign reading "Stop"--to the final message of "Increase the Peace," Singleton's desire to galvanize his audience is clear. The violence destroying South Central Los Angeles is seen through the eyes of Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.), whose intelligence and common sense would be wasted in the 'hood if not for his father, Furious (Laurence Fishburne), who imparts discipline and responsibility to his son. Tre's friends aren't so lucky, though, especially Doughboy (Ice Cube), who has been in and out of institutions since childhood and now sits on his porch with a forty in his hand and a pistol in his waistband. Singleton is ambitious enough to tackle a host of problems, from African American business practices to the bias of the SAT test, but the real power of the film lies in the performances of its principals. Cuba Gooding, in his first role, doesn't let Tre come off like a goody two-shoes, while Ice Cube gives a tragic nobility to a young man who knows he's doomed.
Plot Summary
Since the age of 10, Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.) has been living with his father in South Central Los Angeles--where the challenge lies in simply staying alive long enough to become a man. To make matters worse, Tre's friend Doughboy (Ice Cube) is on the wrong path. John Singleton's directorial debut is part bildungsroman, part gangster film, part call-to-arms for an African American community besieged by violence, drug use, teen pregnancy, and AIDS.
| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 6/26/2007 |
| Running Time: 112 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1991 | | Catalog ID: 07319 | | UPC: 00043396073197 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1992) | | | John Singleton, Nominee, Best Director | | | John Singleton, Nominee, Best Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen | |
MTV Movie Award (1992) |  | John Singleton, Winner, Best New Filmmaker |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...Impressive....Powerfully affecting..." 08/08/1991 p.78New York Times
"...[A] terrifically confident first feature....[Fishburne endows] enormous dignity and grace..."| 07/12/1991 p.C1 USA Today
"...BOYZ N THE HOOD juggles a half-dozen characters with remarkable ease, never losing sight of their destination....Singleton has made the punchiest feature debut in recent memory..." 07/12/1991 p.1D Film Comment
"...The movie has value. It corners moviegoers, almost at cinematic knife point, and tells them what they need and don't want to know..." 09/01/1991 p.2-4 Los Angeles Times
"...Strong and striking....Singleton and his actors slowly involve us in an almost sensual melange of moods, images and situations that take us inside the ghetto in a way mainstream films almost never do....A debut to remember..." 07/12/1991 p.F1 Premiere
"[I]t's ultimately a tender tragedy about the powerful influence, good and bad, of family and friends." 12/01/2003 p.14 Uncut
"It's characterised by Singleton's unflinching storytelling, plus a career-best performance from Cuba Gooding Jr...." 08/01/2004 p.134 Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
One of the best films of recent years. Academy Award material...not simply a brilliant directoral debut, but a film of enormous relevance and importance. - Roger Ebert
Washington Post 8 of 10
Boyz N the Hood is a rude, insistent rap, an unflinching, often funny, always compassionate look at coming of age in South Central Los Angeles. Written and directed by homeboy John Singleton, the film is as ethnocentric as dreadlocks, but its theme is eternal: Maturity doesn't come easy anywhere. But too often it doesn't come at all in the black neighborhoods of urban America. - Rita Kempley
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