Menace 2 Society [VHS]

I adore deep, graphic real movies based on actual events and or movies about certain era's. Whether its war movies, gangster movies etc. Just the type of taste I have. I love gangster movies, from Chicano to mob, to one of my favorites, the struggle of the African american. I grew up in East LA in the 90s, I was around Chicano gangs. And for anyone that hasn't lived this lifestyle, this is as real as it gets. You will watch, you will sigh, you will awww, but above all, it will change the way you view things a bit. That's the type of movie I like. No comparison go boyz n the hood, both are great. Do I recommend this movie? I do, but watch it because you want to, not because you hope it fails. Remember to watch with an open mind. If you are a racist peice of trash. Just stay away and watch duck dynasty.

Tyrin Turner is the anti-hero of Menace II Society a story about lessons learned too late made by the Hughes Brothers. As Turner’s grandfather asks him in one scene “Do you care whether you live or die?” To which turner replied, “I don’t know.” The story is about whether he will come to care about his life or not.The movie starts off with the environment that shaped Turner. His dad (Samuel L. Jackson) was a drug dealer who was killed and his mother (Khandi Alexander) was a drug addict who overdosed. When he was a little kid he saw his father kill a man. He went to go live with his grandparents as a result who had no real control over him. It was no surprise that he would turn to the streets when he became a teenager. Turner’s character’s name Cain is also based upon the biblical story of Cain and Abel about brother killing brother which is played out throughout the film. It’s a very powerful story right up there with its contemporary of the time Boyz In The Hood.Turner gives a strong performance. You would think that this film would have propelled him into bigger and better things but it didn’t. The rest of the cast like Larenz Tate, Jada Pinkett Sith, Clinton Powell as well as the Hughes Brothers all did.

Like the electricity in Soderbergh's "Che" ... like crossing the line into the world that is Scorsese's "Goodfellas" ... you are crossing the line into another world, and *you are there*.(If David Lynch did it, it'd be "surreal." If it was "Un Chien Anadalou" or "Meshes of the Afternoon," it'd be a surreal work of art. If it was Thomas Pynchon's "Journey into the Mind of Watts," it's be a piece of reportage ... well?)The idea that you're falling over the line comes out of Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever," "Do the Right Thing," and little else -- maybe Alex Cox's "Repo Man," if you're partial to that.Trust going over the line. Trust this movie! Once you're going, there ain't no coming back ... all of society looks like a fraud ... mostly!("Check out Ismael Reed. He knows more about this stuff, than you'll ever find here!"--Thomas Pynchon' in "Gravity's Rainbow" (1973))"A word to the wise guy ... " -- as William S. Burroughs says ...

This is one of the greatest movies that I have ever seen in my life. I haven't watched it since I was a teenager. I remember being thoroughly entertained by the movie when I saw it at the theater back in 1993. Still, when I watched it yesterday I was surprised at how incredible it is. All of these years later - and after viewing thousands of movies during the past 2 decades - I can honestly look back and say that this movie ranks among the all time great films as far as I am concerned.I put this up there with The Empire Strikes Back, Do The Right Thing, To Kill A Mockingbird, Goodfellas, The Godfather (Parts 1 & 2), Die Hard, Taxi Driver, Akira and a handful of other movies that I have come to respect as the best of the best.The mix of drama and comedy is not rivaled by any other movie that I have seen. As serious as the subject matter in the movie is - I don't think that I have ever laughed so hard at some of the scenarios that play out in a film. The characters are realistic (I knew somebody like every major character in the film when I was growing up) and despite the comedic output the grim tone of the film is somehow preserved throughout the entirety of its' running time.This is a classic film and deserves to go down in history for the delightful performances by the leads, the insightful writing and direction that captures the danger and excitement of the lives of these characters and the incredible cinematography.The film received widespread critical acclaim at the time of its' release. It won a best film award in 1994 and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography in the same year. If you look at the list of movies that came out in 1993 you will note that those are incredible achievements for a film with the modest budget that Menace II Society was created with. 22 years after the debut of Menace II Society I think it should be looked back upon as the cinematic masterpiece that it is.This is more than upper echelon film making. This is one of those times when all the stars lined up perfectly for a project and everything fell into place to create something that exceeded the bounds of perfection.

Not a BAD movie but nothing great. --- Don't waste your money on the pricey CRITERION version either. Get the older blu-ray before it disappears. - The pic + sound quality are plenty good. --There's not a single great gang banger movie out there. --- The best of them are all 3/3+ star movies. --- If you truly want to experience the very best Rent or buy the Series "THE WIRE" --- It's about 1000 times as good. - Plus you'll get 5 seasons to enjoy.

One of my all time favorite movies. Very authentic and a must see for ppl that don't understand what it's like to grow up in that environment and like to judge without truly understanding. Maybe after seeing movies like this some can have compassion instead of being judgemental.

Not much to say other than this and Boyz N the Hood are THE gold standard when it comes to understanding black culture in the 90's in the Compton area. Larenz Tate is incredible as O-Dogg and the entire movie keeps things interesting. Great Soundtrack and amazing performance by MC EIGHT.

This does not include the UHD 4K disc like the US version.

Loved this as much as when i first saw it and the new remastered bluray is superb as are the extra new features.To the previous reviewer who told us all to beware because the UK version doesn't have the 4K disc...The description on Amazon stated it wasn't 4K, it wasn't even in the title. So why warn everyone and give the release 2 stars? You made the mistake of not reading the description. It isn't Amazon's or Criterion's problem.

I love this film and have it on dvd but thought i have to get the blu ray directors cut, There are extra scenes that i have not seen before and the HD blu ray picture is way better and sharper than the dvd 💿Defo worth the upgrade over the dvd and worth it for the better HD picture. This blu ray worked fine on my uk 4k blu ray player.

Hasn't arrived yet but I know how good it is as I'm replacing my VHS copy. Great performances all round and features some of my favourite older actors, Bill Duke and Samuel L Jackson .

The directorial debut of twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes, Menace II Society is a tough, no nonsense look at youthful black life in the Watts section of Los Angeles. The Hughes Brother's movie charts the hapless life of Caine (Tyrin Turner) as he seeks to escape the ghetto. The son of both a drug dealer (Samuel L. Jackson in a potent appearance) and an addict, Tyrin, surrounded by guns and a machismo culture, is tied to his friends and the way of life afforded him. Even as love and a chance of a way out arises with Jada Pinkett's (terrific) pretty Ronnie, it's doubtful if Tyrin will escape from the revolving door of death.Menace II Society had a troubled beginning, refused a video certificate on the grounds of its profane language and brutally violent scenes, it has since gone on to be viewed as one of the finer exponents of anti-violence involving Black Americans. That wasn't always the case though, many critics in the 90s were prone to calling it a film that glamorises the lifestyle of "Hood" gangsters, but offered a saver of sorts by correctly saying it had realism in amongst the harshness. Certainly the dialogue and regional slang was refreshing to hear, thus affording "Menace" and its makers praise for keeping it real, so to speak.Ineviatbly comparisons were (are) drawn with John Singleton's 1991 film, Boyz n the Hood. But although "Menace" is rawer, uncompromising and more visceral with impact, it lacks the intelligence of Singleton's film. Where "Boyz" had fully rounded characters, character with which to hang your hat on to, "Menace" is just a social group of youths we neither know or care about outside of the group, ego driven dynamic. When lead protagonist Tyrin is trying to deal with his inner conflict, we the audience are treated to standard run of the mill melodrama. The streetwise edginess that the Hughes' began their film with (the opening is nigh on horrific) has long since gone as they try to make a film that touches all the bases of Black Americana.Easily the most realistic of all the ghetto films made, in fact the film at times feels like we are on a documentary drive around downtown Watts. Menace II Society, however brutal it clearly is, has loaded the gun and shot the bullet, only to see it narrowly miss the whole target it was aiming for. Still it's one hell of an experience though. 8/10