Criterion's Fiftieth Anniversary of Hip Hop Collection: Boyz n the Hood (1991)

 


A stunning debut from a first-time director that still holds up. John Singleton's story about a young man coming of age amidst gang violence in South Central Los Angeles has aged better than many of the other New Black Cinema films because of well-developed characters (at least for the most part) and realistic relationships. The compassion and decorum the film displays reinforce strong performances by Lawrence Fishburne and Ice Cube. Despite the rapper's brief role, Cube brings fresh air to his performance as wise-cracking and dogged Doughboy. Fishburne steals most of the scenes he appears in as Tre's (Cuba Gooding Jr.) tough but fair father. The chilling scene where he manipulates the stress balls as his son goes for revenge still hits hard thirty years later. If its been a while since you have seen Boyz n the Hood, you should revisit it. While a product of its time, this stylish movie  remains one of the best of the 1990s so-called hood films and one of the most moving coming-of-age stories ever put on screen. 

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