Boyz n the Hood
Published 2021-09-18
Film info
- Title Boyz n the Hood
- Director John Singleton
- Year 1991
- Run time 1hr 52m
- Genres Crime, Drama
- Tagline Once upon a time in South Central L.A... it ain't no fairy tale
- Cast Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Angela Bassett
Boyz n the Hood is the critically acclaimed story of three friends growing up in a South Central Los Angeles neighbourhood, and of 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 adversity, especially for three young men growing up there: Doughboy, an unambitious drug dealer; his brother Ricky, a college-bound teenage father; and Ricky's best friend Tre, who aspires to a brighter future beyond The Hood.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:37 | "A bullet don't have no name on it." |
| 8:13 | Baby Angela Bassett and Baby Laurence Fishburne. |
| 15:40 | God knows where those bullets went, through the door and into the house across the street probably! |
| 20:09 | Ding-a-ling! |
| 28:20 | Oh no, cos they went to the shop with no money! |
| 30:31 | "Domino, motherfuckers." Yea, Ice Cube has arrived. |
| 42:14 | Driving stick is always such an important question. |
| 51:17 | "Who dis? What kind of way is that of answering the phone." |
| 1:02:09 | Trey's a good friend, helping him concentrate on the exam. |
| 1:06:42 | I only just realised the dad is called Furious, that's epic. |
| 1:13:57 | Fuck the po-lice. |
| 1:25:30 | Ah, the baggy pants and enormous white trainers look of the 90s. |
| 1:35:43 | I want the basketball laundry basket he has in his room. |
| 1:37:59 | 710! Gutted. |
| 1:48:46 | Hold the phone, LARRY Fishburne? |
Thoughts
An incredible movie. It's a hard watch because the entire time you're getting to know and understand these characters with the foreboding that something bad is going to happen... which obviously reflects the reality of living on these streets. As a film, it's surprising how well it works because there's no real driving force of a plot, just the unravelling of these characters lives as they try and cross from boyhood to adulthood.
I thought Fishburne did an incredible job, such a wonderful father figure and he really stood out from the crowd of a great cast. Ice Cube's incredibly expressive face did a lot of heavy lifting too. It's brutal to watch and one of those films that makes you check your privilege.
Rating: 5 / 5