Boyz n the Hood (1991)

     The following is a film review I wrote for Boyz n the Hood  that I wrote as part of my film and genre class:

    Boyz in the Hood is a 1991 coming of age film written and directed by John Singleton following the lives of three boys as they grow up in South Central, LA and the different paths their lives take. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as Tre Styles, who as a young boy is sent to live with his father in Crenshaw after an altercation at school. He befriends two half-brothers: the “hard” Doughboy (played by rapper Ice Cube), and the all-star athlete, Ricky (played by Morris Chestnut). As the boys grow up, Doughboy falls further into the violence and gang-culture surrounding them, and Ricky pursues a football scholarship. Tre, raised by father Furious Style (Laurence Fishburn), grows up to be an intelligent teen that stays out of trouble. 

     As Singleton’s debut film, it is in no way perfect, but it meets its goal portraying the violence that occurred and continues to occur in districts like Crenshaw in a raw and realistic way. Having grown-up so far removed from the way the characters of this film have grown up, I still found myself relating with and becoming invested in the lives of the boys. While Singleton could have easily painted their personalities and actions in broad strokes of “good” and “bad”, he takes care to put depth in the characters. Doughboy’s affiliation with the gang culture in Crenshaw is not a positive, but the audience can empathize with him and understand his motivations in doing what he does. 

    Boyz n the Hood featured standout performances from a lot of the cast. As their first major roles, the leads did a fantastic job in depicting the emotion and nuance of their characters. Especially impressive was Ice Cube. For having no formal acting training, he portrayed the vulnerability behind Doughboy’s tough exterior in an incredibly believable way. Also notable was Laurence Fishburn, whose performance as Furious Styles lent exceptionally well to the character’s reserved and calculating personality.

     While the film doesn’t struggle in terms of storytelling and acting, a few technical aspects left something to be desired. Certain cuts felt awkward or out of place and made the film feel a little jumpy. The sound design was also lacking at points. In some scenes, the dialogue was hard to understand or sounded dubbed in, however this problem could very well have been a consequence of the film being made in the early 90s. Despite its occasional issues, the sound design actually bolstered a lot of the film. There are the ever present sounds of helicopters and distant gunfire which make the audience feel on-edge, like violence could break out at any second. The extras have full conversations that run through the background and add to the realism of the neighborhood. Unlike most movies, all other conversation does not halt while the main characters are talking. 

     Regardless of its quirks, Boyz n the Hood is a must watch. Not only does it deal with the problems present in Crenshaw/South Central LA, but also tackles broader issues of systemic racism, gang culture, and violence to and within the black community. Right off the bat, the film opens up with the statistic that “one out of every twenty-one Black American males will be murdered in their lifetime.” that preps the viewer on what they're in for. Overall, Boyz n the Hood proves to be a more than competent coming of age drama with a lot of heart that gets its story and message across in the way it intended.