MENACE II SOCIETY
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Rating: 9.4 out of 10 (A, ***1/2 out of ****)
Date Released: 5/26/93 Running Length: 1:37 Rated: R (Language, violence, sexual situations, mature themes))
Starring: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, Jada Pickett, Charles S. Dutton Directors: Allen and Albert Hughes Producer: Darin Scott Screenplay: Tyger Williams Music: QD III Released by New Line Cinema
As a child, Caine (Tyrin Turner) was raised in a "den of thieves," with a heroin-addicted mother and a gun-toting, drug-pushing father. At the age of five, Caine learns how to shoot a gun and witnesses his father kill someone in cold blood. By the time of his high school graduation, he's already a seasoned drug pusher. One night, he and his friend O-Dog (Larenz Tate) go into a store to get a beer. O-Dog takes exception to a remark made by the owner and, with Caine standing by his side, guns the man down. From this point on, the pair start down a road of crime that nothing can rescue them from--not even the fear of death. In fact, when Caine's grandfather asks him if he wants to stay alive, his response is, "I don't know."
This will not be the only review written that compares MENACE II SOCIETY to BOYZ 'N THE HOOD, but it may be the only one to liken the movie to RESERVOIR DOGS. As I see it, there are definite similarities between the Hughes Brother's film and those of Singleton and Tarantino.
The setting of MENACE and BOYZ is the same and the overwhelming specter of explosive violence hangs over both. Each in its own way is a powerful indictment of what life has become for a black man in the inner city and how the only escape through violence is into the grave. While BOYZ 'N THE HOOD has as its main characters a couple of "good" kids, MENACE II SOCIETY focuses on the other side. Caine and O-Dog are criminals, given to using their guns to solve problems. Nevertheless, they are portrayed sympathetically and the audience comes to understand and even care about Caine, even though it's impossible to endorse his actions. Hence the comparison to RESERVOIR DOGS, a movie that, among other things, had a group of murdering thugs as its main characters, and whose success depended on the audience making an emotional connection with the villains.
MENACE II SOCIETY has a number of lessons to teach, all of which are delivered without the whiff of a sermon. The story and characters are well-developed and we get to see graphically the wages of the kind of life that Caine and O-Dog have chosen. The lure of money, prestige, and power are realistically presented, but no moreso than the brutal payment that is exacted to obtain them. Also at issue is the necessity of a person accepting the consequences for his actions and how an apparently inconsequential event can trigger a disastrous chain-reaction.
This is one of the most devastating movies to come along in a while. Few films these days have the power to keep an audience sitting in stunned silence for the first few seconds of the final credits. This, if nothing else, is testimony to how hard-hitting the conclusion of MENACE is. The movie pulls no punches, and for that reason, some viewers may be offended. The gory results of violence are displayed with little concern for the sensibilities of the less-hardened members of the audience, and the explicit language earns MENACE II SOCIETY its "R" rating before the opening New Line Cinema logo leaves the screen.
For MENACE II SOCIETY to work, the characters have to be real. Especially in the case of Caine, into whose youth we are given a lingering look, they are. Equal credit must go to the writer and the actors. Except for Charles S. Dutton, whose role is little more than a two-scene cameo, none of the performers are well-known, but there isn't a stiff in the bunch. The Hughes Brothers obviously knew what they wanted before going out and getting it.
Frankly, this is not an enjoyable movie. It's too stark and powerful to function as simple entertainment. Those that set foot in a darkened theater showing MENACE II SOCIETY should prepare for something in the nature of an experience. It won't be a fun time, but you'll sit through ninety-seven minutes that won't quickly be forgotten.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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