The first movie by John Singleton it is also the first movie that clearly portrays the life in a poor black neighborhood. If it seems to you now like it includes some formula like parts, remember that this is the movie that created this "formula" by which many other hood movies got filmed.It is done in a wonderful way. While some elements of this life are already very well known to the point that they may become a cliche in a movie, in this case the director manages to portray it all very realistic and easy to connect to the people in the movie. There is great acting and a special mention should be of Ice Cube for whom this was his acting debut. He portrays Dough in a brilliant way. He may be the guy who went the wrong road but we can see him being a good person and not having made these choices just on his own but being part of the system that pushed him into it. No wonder Ice Cube continued his acting career and is pretty successful.Definitely a nice classic from the 90's that I recommend to people who want to watch a realistic and dramatic movie that makes one both think and feel

John Singleton's debut film was seen as remarkable back when it was released in 1991, screening at Cannes and making Singleton the youngest director to ever be nominated for the Academy Award and the first African-American. And Boys n the Hood still stands up today.Set from 1984 to 1991 in South Central LA Boyz n the Hood follows three friends, Tre Styles (Desi Arnez Hines/Cuba Gooding Jr.), a smart kid who wants to lead a normal life, Ricky Baker (Donovan McCrary/Morris Chestnut), an aspiring American Football player and Ricky's gangbanger half-brother "Doughboy" (Baha Jackson/Ice Cube).The main characters three different aspects of black life - Tre is the academic, Ricky is athletic and Doughboy falls in with a bad crowd and serves as an example of what could happen to Tre and Ricky. Although Tre and Ricky have ambition and potential they can't escape the gang warfare infecting the area.Singleton gets the atmosphere of the area - the constant police presence and shootings, the young men that roam in cars and gangs and the drug addiction of some the residents of the area. A powerful image early in the film is showing children's drawings of the gang and police violence.Some of the dialogue is a bit too blunt and heavy handed but I willing to put it down to Singleton's youth at the time as he was trying to get his point across. The same goes for the more melodramatic scenes but this was because of extreme personal circumstances that the characters have to go through.Boyz n the Hood is a highly influential film in the 'hood subgenre' and it is clear it set up some of tropes that many of it ilk followed.

Tre (Cuba) goes to live with his Dad (Lawrence Fishbourne) outside of LA. He grows up next to his 2 best friends who are brothers in a neighborhood where hearing cop sirens and gunshots was a regular occurrence. Watching the struggles and constant bombardment of violence that these kids grew up facing was eye-opening. Violence was a constant reality for even the "good" kids.The acting was great. Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr were phenomenal. This is the first big role for both of them and their performances set them both apart as both exceptional actors.

There's so many ways you mess up what this movie tries to do, as can be seen in the many movies made after it in a similar setting. This movie is set on the streets, but it's not taking sides. It's not a romantic look at the life of the street thug, nor is it a patronizing tale of morals. It does not paint a picture of one group (the poor) against another (the rich). It's people in a community, and that community consists of all sorts of people, and they're all forced to face the reality they are in. I am in no position to judge how close to reality this movie is, but it all feels authentic.There are some great performances in this movie, and that goes all around. The big players and the bit parts are all played as if the characters were made especially for the actors. And all the characters feel like real human beings with struggles both big and small.