Comparative analysis of thematic elements across two films

¶ … Boyz in the Hood to Gangs of New York

John Singleton's directorial debut Boyz n the Hood was released to critical acclaim in 1991, depicting with gritty realism the violence awaiting an entire generation of young men living in sprawling cities that were struggling under the weight of endemic urban decay. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut and Angela Basset, Boyz n the Hood managed to capture the visceral reality of gang-related violence from a truly modern perspective, portraying the story of a vulnerable young man named Tre Styles. The concept of youthful abandonment preceding a life of gang affiliation, criminality and violence is integral to the thematic structure of Boyz n the Hood, as Tre's positive decisions throughout the film are largely influenced by his patient father Furious Styles -- while his friends from the neighborhood lack such steady parental guidance and are increasingly drawn toward the street lifestyle. In his cinematic update of investigative journalist Herbert Asbury's 1928 book "The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld" -- 2002's Gangs of New York -- award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese managed to accomplish a similar feat to that performed by Singleton a decade before, capturing in starkly dramatic terms the violence and depravity of an urban environment spilling over with desperate, poverty-stricken populations. The protagonist of Scorsese's film is also a young man lacking parental influence, as the orphaned Amsterdam Vallon comes of age in a brutal world defined by the bloody pursuit of political power. Whereas Tre Styles benefits from the advice and wisdom provided by his biological father, Amsterdam Vallon becomes susceptible to the advances of legendary gangland leader Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, and although both parental figures provide a different perspective on the path to manhood, the fact that in each film violent confrontation between gangs of young men serves as the climactic event through which maturity is measured warrants an extended analysis.

The refusal to indulge in the fanciful glamorization gang violence that defines Singleton's directorial vision in Boyz n the Hood stands in stark contrast to Scorsese's version of Gangs of New York, a film which consciously employs the attractiveness of its actors to humanize the degradation it depicts. By instilling a sense of heroism in the fictional story of Amsterdam Vallon and his nemesis turned mentor Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, Scorsese abandons Asbury's original point of emphasis. While the motley assortment of gangs presented on screen has its basis in historical truth, with the Dead Rabbits, Daybreak Boys and Plug Uglies all having plied their dastardly trade throughout the Five Points, Scorsese shows no hesitation in fusing fact with fiction to achieve his narrative goals. It has often been noted that Scorsese, who crafted classic Mafia-inspired films such as Goodfellas and Mean Streets, expanded on a supposition of Asbury's by attributing the rise of organized crime in America to the marauding and murderous campaigns of gangs like the Bowery Boys.Obviously the confines of the three hour window afforded by his film forced the directorial hand of Scorsese, compelling him to condense the intricacies of decades-long strife into a conveniently consumable package. Nonetheless, Scorsese's Gangs of New York managed to build on Asbury's original documentation, offering the modern cinemagoer the rarest of glimpses into a nation's tumultuous and terrible emergence. The sights and sounds, the crowding and clamor of the Five Points circa 19th century, everything Asbury strived to capture through his insightful prose has been brought vividly to life by Scorsese, and if certain details were fused in the process, the finished product surely did not suffer for it.