Menace II Society

Menace II Society
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Allen Hughes Albert Hughes
Produced by	Darin Scott
Written by	Tyger Williams
Story by	Allen Hughes Albert Hughes Tyger Williams
Starring	Tyrin Turner Larenz Tate Jada Pinkett Smith Samuel L. Jackson
Music by	Quincy Jones III (credited as QD III)
Cinematography	Lisa Rinzler
Editing by	Christopher Koefoed
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	May 26, 1993
Running time	104 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$3.5 million
Box office	$27.9 million

Menace II Society is a 1993 drama/hood film and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its scenes of violence, profanity, and drug-related content. Menace II Society was critically acclaimed for its gritty portrayal of urban violence and its powerful underlying messages.

Plot

Caine Lawson and his best friend Kevin Anderson (O-Dog) enter a local store to buy malt liquor, as the Korean storekeeper and his wife eye them suspiciously. As they begin to leave an argument ensues where the shopkeeper says "I feel sorry for your mother", so O-Dog shoots him and his wife. He then takes the store video surveillance tape and empties the cash register. In a flashback, it is revealed that Caine’s father was a dope dealer who was killed in a drug deal when Caine was ten, and his mother was a heroin addict who later died of an overdose, as a result he went to go live with his grandparents. Later, Caine and his cousin Harold are carjacked and Harold is murdered, with Caine shot. O-Dog informs Caine that he has learned the identity of the carjackers. He and Caine then find the assailants and kill them.

Caine and O-Dog are hired by a local hood Chauncy, for a car insurance scheme but are caught in the process and arrested by police. A detective attempts to link Caine to the store killings by matching fingerprints. Once released, Caine, buys a new car from a chop shop and robs a local hustler for his Dayton wheels. Caine begins to enjoy his new hustler life with his crew, meeting a local girl named Ilena. Caine's friend Ronnie tells him that she has found a job in Atlanta and invites him to come with her. Later, Caine tells Ronnie that he will accompany her to Atlanta.

Before leaving for Atlanta, Caine gets into an altercation with Ilena's cousin, who comes to Caine's house. They have a small exchange with Ilena's cousin berating Caine to which Caine replies "So what, now we're going to fight over a bitch?", after that Caine cheapshots Ilena's cousin and proceeds to kick him while he's down. Moments later, it is shown that Ilena's cousin says he has to take care of his business, leading the events ahead.

Ilena's cousin and a gang of gunmen execute a drive-by shooting on the house during which Sharif is killed and Caine is fatally wounded, just as Caine was packing the car to move to Atlanta. As Caine lies bloody in Stacy's arms, seeing flashbacks of the events that led to this final moment, he realizes that "in the end it all catches up with you". With a gunshot, the screen blacks out

Cast

• Tyrin Turner - Kaydee (Caine) Lawson
• Larenz Tate - Kevin (O-Dog) Anderson
• Jada Pinkett - Ronnie
• Samuel L. Jackson - Tat Lawson
• MC Eiht - A-Wax
• Glenn Plummer - Pernell
• Clifton Powell - Chauncy
• Marilyn Coleman - Mrs. Lawson
• Arnold Johnson - Thomas Lawson
• Pooh-Man - Doc
• Julian Roy Doster - Anthony
• Too Short - Lew-Loc
• Khandi Alexander - Karen Lawson
• Vonte Sweet - Sharif Butler
• Ryan Williams - Stacy
• Bill Duke - Detective
• Dwayne L. Barnes - Basehead
• Charles S Dutton - Mr. Butler
• Garen Holoman - Junior
• Brandon Hammond - Five Year Old Caine
• Saafir - Harold Lawson
• Cynthia Calhoun - Jackee
• Erin Leshawn Wiley - Ilena
• Samuel Monroe Jr. - Ilena's Cousin
• Clifton Collins Jr. - Vato #2

Production

Originally, Tupac Shakur was set to play Sharif and rapper Spice 1 to play Caine, but they were later fired with director Allen Hughes claiming that Tupac was causing trouble on the set. Six months after the firing, Shakur assaulted the director, resulting in Shakur being found guilty of assault and battery. Tupac did not want to play the role of Sharif, as he did not agree (in regards to the authenticity of such a role) that a Muslim could also be a gangbanger. Tupac wanted to play O-Dog. They were later replaced with Larenz Tate and Tyrin Turner, respectively.

The movie featured realistic dialogue, and is known for its crude and profane language. The word "fuck" and its derivatives are used 300 times in the 97-minute film. This was a record up to that time and the film still holds one of the highest fuck per minute rates at 3.07 times per minute. The movie was edited for an R-rating; edited scenes included Samuel L. Jackson's character's killing of the man in the poker scene, the shooting of the red-sweatered gang member by A-Wax, and Caine's death at the end. This was all reinstated in the director's cut. The director's cut was first released on laserdisc, then released on DVD in 2008. The film's first DVD release was the R-rated theatrical version. The director's cut has since been re-rated R for strong bloody violence, drug use and pervasive language (instead of strong violence, drug use and language). An additional scene was also added, showing Caine and O-Dog breaking into a car in the garage. But according to the Hughes brothers, a prison riot scene, which was cut by the studio to avoid an NC-17 rating, has not been restored.

Reception

Menace II Society received generally positive reviews from critics. The film scored an 85% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews. Chicago Reader critic Jonathan Rosenbaum stated, "This is a powerful, convincing, and terrifying look at teenage crime in contemporary Watts." Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly gave it a positive review, stating, "Menace II Society is bleak, brilliant, and unsparing." EmanuelLevy.com gave the film an A, saying it is "The most stunning feature debut in the new African American cinema, even more so than Boyz n the Hood to which the coming of age feature bears thematic resemblance." The film was placed on both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert's 10 best films of 1993 lists, with Ebert praising "the way the filmmakers tell Caine's story without making him seem either the hero or victim".

The film received some negative reviews. Geoff Andrew of Time Out stated, "Regrettably, the Hughes Brothers' first feature is a compendium of cliches." Stephen Holden of The New York Times stated, "If Menace II Society is terrific on ambiance, it is considerably less successful in revealing character." At the 1994 MTV Movie Awards, the film was awarded Best Movie, beating out the likes of Philadelphia, Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. The film also won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.

Cultural references

• The Boondocks, a cartoon series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, has incorporated quotes from the movie into the dialogue of the character voiced by Samuel L. Jackson. "Thank You for Not Snitching" (season 2, episode 3) parodies the interrogation scene, and in "Ballin'", Uncle Ruckus calls Riley O-Dog during a basketball game.
• One episode of the short lived TV series, The Critic, features main character Jay Sherman reviewing a movie titled Dennis the Menace II Society, in which Dennis the Menace pulls out two machine guns and shoots up George Wilson's house.
• The 1996 Wayans Brothers spoof, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, based its main storyline mostly on the movie. Multiple characters from the movie parody those of Menace II Society, such as Marlon Wayans' character named "Loc Dog".
• The Simpsons spoofed the film in one episode, wherein Lisa and Homer watch a short cartoon starring Ludacris, called "Menace Tooth Society".
• In the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, members of the Grove Street Families resemble O-Dog. In the mission "Ryder", the pizza shop clerk says to Ryder, "I feel sorry for your dad", echoing what the Korean liquor store clerk says to O-Dog in the beginning of the movie. A few actors from the film, notably Samuel L. Jackson, MC Eiht, Clifton Powell, Yo-Yo, and Clifton Collins, Jr., appeared as many of the main characters in San Andreas. Additionally, the start of the game contains a scene wherein the main character is left in rival gang territory.
• A number of rap songs by Snoop Doggy Dogg featuring The Dogg Pound, 50 Cent, The Game, Jay-Z, and T.I. have made reference to Menace II Society. Also Jadakiss has a line in a verse on the Ruff Ryders Anthem (remix): "give it to you at the lights like Cains cousin Harold" In Doggy Dogg World, Kurupt raps: "I'm going out looney like O-Dog."
• Gucci Mane's album "The Appeal" has a song titled "ODog" featuring Wyclef Jean.
• Lupe Fiasco's song "Double Burger With Cheese", which in the title itself is a reference to a scene from the film, makes numerous references to the film and includes dialogue from the scene where Caine robs a man of his car and has the man order him a "Double burger with cheese."
• In the debut album of rapper Lil Zane, Young World: The Future, in the track "Ride On 'Em", you can hear at the end O-Dog and his infamous quote before the shooting of the carjackers:"You act like a lil bitch rite now, you act all paranoid and shit..."
• Immortal Technique, in his song "Angels and Demons", quotes the main character's line, "Young, black, and don't give a fuck".
• ASAP Rocky's song 1 Train contain's a reference to the character O-Dog with the line, "Braids like I'm O-Dog/My la familia go hard."

See also

• List of films featuring surveillance
• Menace II Society (soundtrack)

External links

• Menace II Society at the Internet Movie Database
• Menace II Society at AllRovi
• Menace II Society at Rotten Tomatoes
• Menace II Society at Metacritic
• Menace II Society at Box Office Mojo