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Menace II Society

Menace II Society

Drama · Crime · Thriller · 1993

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

Movie details

Menace II Society

“This is the truth. This is what's real.”

1993 Drama · Crime · Thriller 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.5 / 10

Community rating

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

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 Menace II Society?

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.

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Strange Days

Strange Days

Crime · 1995

In the last days of 1999, ex-cop turned street hustler Lenny Nero receives a disc which contains the memories of the murder of a prostitute. With the help of bodyguard Mace, he starts to investigate and is pulled deeper and deeper in a whirl of murder, blackmail and intrigue.

The Substitute

The Substitute

Action · 1996

When an inner-city Miami schoolteacher gets her knee broken after standing up to the school's gang leader, her mercenary combat specialist boyfriend goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk. Soon he discovers a conspiracy of criminals at work, and must reassemble his team from his last jungle raid to stop them.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Allen Hughes · Albert Hughes

Written by

Tyger Williams · Albert Hughes · Allen Hughes

Tyrin Turner

Tyrin Turner

Caine 'Kaydee' Lawson

Larenz Tate

Larenz Tate

Kevin 'O-Dog'

Glenn Plummer

Glenn Plummer

Pernell

Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith

Ronnie

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

Tat Lawson

J

June Kyoto Lu

Grocery Store Woman

Toshi Toda

Toshi Toda

Grocery Store Man

Court is in session

Put Menace II Society on trial.

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

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“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.