Menace II Society
"Went into the store to get a bottle of beer. Came out an accessory to murder." So ends the stunning opening scene of Menace II Society, a powerful social drama with memorable dialogue (both hilarious and thought-provoking), top-drawer performances and outstanding direction.
The writing and directing debut of Albert and Allen Hughes, Menace follows the life of Caine (Tyrin Turner), an African American teen living in the inner city. Caine has just graduated from high school and doesn't have a clue what he plans to do with himself. His closest friend is O-Dog (Larenz Tate), who in the words of Caine was "America's nightmare: young, black, and didn't give a fuck."
Caine spends his first summer after graduation partying with his friends, getting into trouble with O-Dog, and dodging the police. He also periodically checks in on Ronnie (Jada Pinkett) and her son Anthony. Ronnie is the wife of the life-imprisoned Pernell (Glenn Plummer), a man who looked after Caine when he was younger and taught him how to survive on the streets. Will Caine rise above his surroundings, or succumb to the dangers of the inner city?
As great of a film as Menace is, it has some minor flaws. The film's low budget results in a slightly choppy narrative, although it also sharpens the movie's gritty, realistic tone. And Caine's grandparents, particularly his Bible-spouting grandfather, come off as caricatures. But complaining seems like sour grapes when Caine's grandfather also has one of the film's more memorable lines, asking his grandson, "Caine, do you care whether you live or die?" Caine's telling response: "I don't know."
Enough nit-picking. Menace To Society is packed with one classic scene after another, including memorable cameos by Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Shaft) and Charles S. Dutton. The episode in which Caine visits his boyhood hero Pernell in prison is among the most powerful movie scenes of the past decade. Pernell realizes the futility of his situation, and exhorts Caine - who weeps at the sight of his role model behind bars - to take care of his young son. "You teach him that the way we grew up was bullshit," says Pernell, before sadly concluding, "I can't do shit for him in here."
The two lead actors, Turner and Tate, are superb. As despicable as O-Dog is - he takes pride in a videotape of himself killing an Asian shop owner - Tate shows us traces of the character's humanity through his friendship with Caine.
Turner is even better as Caine. He doesn't shy away from showing us Caine's rough side, but also reveals a thoughtful, intelligent aspect of Caine that might have blossomed in a different setting. It's a sign of the difficult path African Americans actors face that we've heard barely a whisper from these two talented young men since they appeared in Menace.
The Hughes Brothers make an astounding directorial debut with Menace To Society, expertly injecting this poignant social commentary with bursts of humor. A brilliantly written scene where Caine shows Anthony how to hold a gun demonstrates how the gangsta mentality is passed on from one generation to another. But the Hughes brothers' talent is never more evident than in the film's haunting finale, a shattering sequence of events that's guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on the viewer.
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As O-Dog says in the film's opening scene, "Go ahead and give me some of that OE." Just make sure your buddy doesn't pop a cap in someone's ass while you're trying to enjoy your brew.
Gritty, downbeat drama is not your ideal date flick.
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