Menace II Society

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1:40

Menace II Society

R

1993

1h 37m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

After growing up in the gang lifestyle of the Los Angeles projects, 18-year-old Caine Lawson (Tyrin Turner) wants a way out. Everyone around him, including his unpredictable friend O-Dog (Larenz Tate), is trapped in their lives of crime and violence. With the help of his caring teacher (Charles Dutton) and supportive girlfriend (Jada Pinkett), Caine plans to leave the city for good. But in a series of tragic events, Caine realizes that escape will not be easy.

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Critics Consensus

Told with grit and verve by the Hughes brothers in their feature debut, Menace II Society is a gangland epic that breathes with authenticity while steeped in style.

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Lawrence Ware

New York Times

10/13/2023

A

With a tragic hero at its heart, the Hughes brothers’ debut drama painted nuanced portraits of characters rarely fleshed out in other films.

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Peter Rainer

Los Angeles Times

03/07/2021

The Hughes brothers are torn between the hopelessness of what they depict and a kind of haloed view of a better life.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

03/17/2008

Don't let the silly styling of the title put you off; this is a powerful, convincing, and terrifying look at teenage crime in contemporary Watts.

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

03/01/2023

A lot like Boyz N Da Hood released two years earlier, it is a bleak picture and captures lightning in a bottle in which the city was still fuming from the Rodney King riots.

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Kelechi Ehenulo

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

12/17/2021

4/5

Now that it is a Criterion release with a stunning 4K restoration, [Menace II Society] remains an important chapter in understanding why the streets are more than what is stereotypically portrayed in the media.

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Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

12/06/2021

Remains a powerful indictment of a country which was failing young black men in in the 1990s.

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Jermaine B

@DeeperMessage Dec 3

I love how this movie full digs deep into the lifestyle of how a regular person growing up in a poverty induced environment. It had a story to tell and this film did a amazing job telling the watcher how dangerous the lifestyle can be while also being entertaining one of the few movies I would watch again

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Jeremy P.

@Jezza_Linko Nov 26

awesome movie about growing up in the hood fighting for survival ended up having a baby and then dying at the end of the movie

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r96 s

Sep 7

'Menace II Society' delivers an eventful 90 minutes! It's a film I certainly like, it is a predictable (beginning aside) ride but one that does manage to hit a fair bit. The characters are admittedly not the most likeable, though their predicament is still easy to connect to. Tyrin Turner makes for a solid lead, with Larenz Tate and Jada Pinkett (Smith) the pick of the rest; the latter, to be honest, brings the best acting of the main bunch. Aside from Pinkett, I did find the acting to be imperfect - not bad, whatsoever, but those away from Jada do get a bit cringey in parts. Good to see Samuel L. Jackson involved, albeit minimally. The ending, whilst good and totally serviceable, did irritate me slightly. I won't spoil what happens, but the 'last act' of Caine doesn't make total sense; you can tell they done it like that because it sounded dramatic on paper. Is it just me or did he laughably put the young fella in more danger? It took me out of the scene, I can't lie. Overall, this 1993 release is very good. I just evidently had a couple of (relatively minor, but noteworthy) issues with it, that's all.

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Sara S

Jul 7

It's a movie that takes you where you might not want to go, and makes you care about hell in a very small place.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 30

Success in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $27,700,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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K W

@KdubR Jun 25

Lewd and violent, but undeniably affecting.

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Allen Hughes

Director

Albert Hughes

Director

Tyrin Turner

Caine "Kaydee" Lawson

Jada Pinkett Smith

Ronnie

Vonte Sweet

Sharif

Larenz Tate

Kevin 'O-Dog'

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Menace II Society: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

After growing up in the gang lifestyle of the Los Angeles projects, 18-year-old Caine Lawson (Tyrin Turner) wants a way out. Everyone around him, including his unpredictable friend O-Dog (Larenz Tate), is trapped in their lives of crime and violence. With the help of his caring teacher (Charles Dutton) and supportive girlfriend (Jada Pinkett), Caine plans to leave the city for good. But in a series of tragic events, Caine realizes that escape will not be easy.

Director: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes
Producer: Darin Scott
Screenwriter: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes, Tyger Williams
Distributor: 20th Century Fox of Germany, New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 26, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $27.7M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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