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Boyz n the Hood

Boyz n the Hood

Drama · Crime · 1991

Three friends growing up in South Central Los Angeles navigate a neighborhood plagued by violence, unemployment, and crime, each responding differently to the harsh realities of street life. As tragedy strikes close to home, their friendship, choices, and hopes for a better future are put to the ultimate test.

Movie details

Boyz n the Hood

“Once upon a time in South Central L.A. ... It ain't no fairy tale.”

1991 Drama · Crime 1h 52m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.8 / 10

167.3K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

93 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

76 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Three friends growing up in South Central Los Angeles navigate a neighborhood plagued by violence, unemployment, and crime, each responding differently to the harsh realities of street life. As tragedy strikes close to home, their friendship, choices, and hopes for a better future are put to the ultimate test.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Boyz n the Hood?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

American Me

American Me

Crime · 1992

During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits.

The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give

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Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.

Belly

Belly

Crime · 1998

Tommy Bundy and Sincere are best friends as well as infamous and ruthless criminals and shot-callers in the hood. Respected by many but feared by all. As the police are closing in on them and new players are looking for a come up, will their reign last?

Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton

Drama · 2015

In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

Bound by Honor

Bound by Honor

Crime · 1993

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.

Menace II Society

Menace II Society

Drama · 1993

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

Fresh

Fresh

Crime · 1994

Death and violence anger twelve year old drug courier Fresh, who sets his rival employers against each other.

Crash

Crash

Drama · 2005

In post-Sept. 11 Los Angeles, tensions erupt when the lives of a Brentwood housewife, her district attorney husband, a Persian shopkeeper, two cops, a pair of carjackers and a Korean couple converge during a 36-hour period.

End of Watch

End of Watch

Crime · 2012

Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.

The Wanderers

The Wanderers

Drama · 1979

The streets of the Bronx are owned by '60s youth gangs where the joy and pain of adolescence is lived. Philip Kaufman tells his take on the novel by Richard Price about the history of the Italian-American gang ‘The Wanderers.’

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Singleton

Written by

John Singleton

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Tré Styles

Laurence Fishburne

Laurence Fishburne

Furious Styles

Ice Cube

Ice Cube

Doughboy

Morris Chestnut

Morris Chestnut

Ricky Baker

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett

Reva Styles

Nia Long

Nia Long

Brandi

Tyra Ferrell

Tyra Ferrell

Mrs. Baker

Court is in session

Put Boyz n the Hood on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.