Film Required for the Class With a

¶ … Film Required for the Class With a Non-Required Film of Your Choice Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society John Singleton's motion picture Boyz n the Hood, and the Hughes Brothers' film Menace II Society both address the idea of the Los Angeles 'hood' as being a particularly dangerous place for young people trying to find their personal identity. Both films have central characters who are somewhat different from their friends and who actually seem to be 'better' than the people that generally inhabit dubious neighborhoods in L.A.

The producers obviously wanted viewers to get a more complex understanding of the 'hood' environment. Many viewers are certainly likely to acknowledge that many of the apparently ruthless criminals in these locations are really the product of the world they are living in, taking into account that very little actually have a say in their lives.

Race is one of the main ideas in both films and this is probable to make numerous viewers express discomfort as a result of seeing how African-Americans are shown as being society's victims instead of being shown as they have traditionally been perceived -- as trouble-makers who are hesitant about adopting the attitudes 'normal' people adopt.

This is one of the main concepts in both motion pictures, as the producers wanted audiences to feel unease about the role they play in a world where everything seems to happen for a reason. Neither Tre (the central character in Boyz n the Hood) or Caine (the protagonist in Menace II Society) have the impulse to act when this is required from them.

They are the 'normal' people in both movies -- the persons who are hesitant about replicating behaviors they see in their friends and that seem to disprove these respective behaviors. As the storylines progress it becomes clear that the 'hood' shapes a person and that it is difficult and almost impossible for someone to be passive with regard to what is going on around him.

Tre and Caine go through great efforts in order to be different but they both end up being sucked in by the energy present on the streets. Even with this, the two films take on different positions on the idea of a person being influenced to become a criminal. Tre wants to become a criminal as a consequence of seeing his friend killed, but later realizes the error of his thinking and abandons his plan.

In contrast, watching his cousin being murdered is actually what triggers Caine's interest in becoming a criminal. Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society are both intended to raise public awareness concerning the things happening in hoods all over the world and in the U.S. In particular. However, the former shows a moral person being gradually influenced to leave the 'hood'.