What I found inspiring about the story was it's message, largely implied by Laurence Fishburne's character, that the way out of the ghetto was for people to take charge of their own lives and improve themselves via education and taking personal responsibility. The dichotomy of street life is represented by Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Ricky Baker (Morris Chestnut), who make an effort to improve their situation in life, against the gang-banger mentality of young blacks like Doughboy Darren (Ice Cube) and Dooky (Dedrick D. Gobert), who engage in an eye for an eye existence in relation to the street gangs that roam South Central Los Angeles. Particular emphasis is placed on the idea of young black kids needing a father, or at least a father figure in their lives to teach them right from wrong in matters of education, job skills and even the responsibility that goes along with pre-marital sex. The dialog between Furious and his son is particularly frank and well intentioned, making this picture appear to be worthy viewing for all inner city high school students. I found the movie to be sensitive and thought provoking, with only some mild disappointment with the closing screen narrative that described the fate of Doughboy two weeks after the tragic death of Ricky. As a fictional story, I didn't find it necessary to sensationalize the drama of yet another young man's death in service to the movie, as there was enough to contemplate regarding the tragedy that had just recently occurred.

But not "dumb" in a purposefully insulting way. "Dumb" as in it feels like it was made by a child. Everything is incredibly obvious, on the nose, cheesy and you can see it coming from a mile away. This movie doesn't do subtle, or thoughtful, or anything really. It honestly feels like something a 6th grader would make. At first I was bored, then I was angry and by the time the end credits rolled I was laughing out loud at how silly it is. Halfway through I gave up on the promise of any story and just sort of stick out to see who gets the bullet as it really seemed that's the only way this movie could've ended.You want to add 7 points to that because of the real issues and human tragedies it deals with? Feel free to do so. But theme aside, this is a surprisingly poor movie.

The Plot. John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner- city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions. Highly overrated, poorly develop-ed, badly directed, cheaply made movie with an agenda.It's a borefest.

This is a very interesting movie from the 90s. The story is well develop and so as the characters. I'm glad I own it. This is the underrated gem from the 90s. I have a friend who doesn't like this movie but it's just opinions like everyone think differently. This movie deserve a watch, get it on Blu Ray or DVD if you really enjoy this film as I do.Score: 10.5/10