September, 1991 The Broncos' Voice Page 11
Entertainment
Boyz N The Hood Receives Praises .
The first time I saw Boyz
N The Hood, I thought it was a
well directed movie. But after
viewing Boyz N The Hood for the
second time, I know it was an
excellent film. Writer-director
John Singleton is no stranger to
the life portrayed in this film.
The purpose of this movie
is not to sugar-coat what goes on
in cities like South Central Los
Angeles, but to make society
aware of the problems faced by
such cities. In order to bring out
the true scenery and surroundings
of such neighborhoods, Boyz N
The Hood was shot on location in
South Central L.A. The audience
is made well aware of the
struggles, strains and fears that
poverty breeds in black
communities.
When recollecting this
movie the phrase "the truth shall
set you free" enters my mind.
This phrase encompasses the
theme of the movie. Boyz N The
Hood was not created to
influence the behaviors portrayed
in this movie but, to do quite the
contrary. That being the
realization of what one race is
doing to itself. The violence that
we are exposed to in this movie
is a part of that awareness.
Making one aware of a problem
is the iniual step towards
correcting the problem.
Although violence is a
reality of poverty stricken cities,
so is the love of family. One
particular segment of this movie
deals with the love of one brother
to another. The scene begins one
evening on a particular hang out
street. Young males of the
neighborhood hang out in this
particular area because there is
essentially nothing else to do.
There are no jobs and no
recreational facilities. Ricky
(Morris Chestnut) and his friends
are simply talking about everyday
occurrences when a group of
people come by and one member
of this group - out of the blue -
decides he is going to shove
Ricky. That evening nothing
becomes of it, but a few days
later it is all over for Ricky. The
same males come around his
block to instigate a war of the
neighborhoods and to show that
he and his friends are going to be
the ones to lay down the rules.
Ricky and his friend Tre (Cuba
Gooding, Jr.) are walking home
from the grocery store when they
are bombarded by an array of
bullets. Ricky is slain. And to
make matters worse, he was
trying to make a decent life for
himself. Ricky’s mother is left
without a son, his brother is left
without a sibling, and his child is
left without a father. In an act of
seeking justice for what was done
to Ricky, his brother. Doughboy
(Ice Cube) decides to take
revenge on the people who
committed the murder. This is
done out of the love and the hurt
he and Ricky’s family feels.
When Doughboy finds the men
who murdered Ricky, he shows
no mercy on them. It is
something instilled in him
throughout his lifetime. This is
his justice.
All this brings us to the
fact that all of the above could
have been prevented because
those who run this country are
aware of what goes on in
communities like these. The
government has the responsibility
to dole out the funds for help,
recreation and rehabilitation. But
until this happens, cides like
South Central L.A. will have to
fend for themselves in an effort
to correct their problems.
At the end of the movie
we learn that Doughboy is killed
two weeks after Ricky’s death.
This leaves a mother with any
children and a son without a
father. Each time I left the movie
theater there was complete
silence; it was as though we were
all thinking of the repercussions
of such occurrences. The babies
and children weren’t even crying.
One other message that
John Singleton wishes to display
is the importance of a father
figure in a boys’ life. Singleton
expresses his concern for the
need of the male to teach
responsibility to his children.
One father in this movie does
just that. His name is Furious
Styles (Larry Fishbume) and his
son is Tre Styles. Furious does
his absolute best to bestow upon
his son honor and moral codes.
At the end of the movie we are
told that Tre will be attending
Morehouse College.
The one thing you should
learn from this movie is the
responsibility that each of us
holds in our community. I believe
that this is a very powerful,
thought provoking movie that
people from all walks of life
should view with an open mind.
- Miriam Levy
1I-.I I
(Top) Doughboy (Ice Cube), one of three close friends who grow up
together in South Central Los Angeles, is living by the laws of the street.
(Above) Furious Styles (Lxirry Fishburne) strives to teach his son, Tre, to
be a man of responsiblity in "Boyz N The Hood", a Columbia Pictures
release.