Boyz N The Hood (1991)
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A young man sent to live with his father in South Central Los Angeles must navigate the dangers of a booming gang culture.
The story
In 1984, 10-year-old Tre Styles is sent to live with his father, Furious, in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles after a series of incidents at school. There, he reunites with childhood friends while navigating a community heavily influenced by gang culture. The story follows Tre's growth and the challenges he faces as he tries to forge his own path while dealing with the pressures of his environment and the influence of his peers.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1984, 10-year-old Tre Styles is sent to live with his father, Furious, in South Central Los Angeles. He reunites with friends Doughboy, Ricky, and Chris. Years later, the narrative jumps to 1991. Doughboy, now a drug dealer, is released from prison and reunites with the group. Ricky is a star athlete, while Tre is preparing for college. A confrontation between rival gangs leads to a violent escalation. After a series of tragic events, including the death of Ricky, Tre faces a moral crossroads regarding revenge. While his friend Doughboy ultimately chooses a path of violent retribution against those who harmed his circle, Tre chooses to let go of his anger. The film concludes with Tre and his girlfriend heading to college, while Doughboy is later killed in a retaliatory strike.
- First release year
- 1991
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Singleton
- Writers
- John Singleton · writer
- Cast and characters
- Cuba Gooding Jr. · Tre Styles; Laurence Fishburne · Furious Styles; Ice Cube · Doughboy; Morris Chestnut · Ricky; Nia Long · Brandi Harris; Tyra Ferrell; Angela Bassett
- Genres
- coming-of-age; hood crime drama
- Themes
- coming-of-age
- Tone and mood
- drama
- Setting
- South Central Los Angeles, 1984-1991
- Premise and plot tags
- hood; crime; gangs
- Source material / true-story basis
- Named after the 1987 Eazy-E song "The Boyz-n-the Hood", written by Ice Cube
- Reception
- The film became a critical and commercial success, garnering several awards and being selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · review count: 139; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Best Director · Academy Awards · nomination; Best Original Screenplay · Academy Awards · nomination
- Production trivia
- The role of Doughboy was written specifically for Ice Cube.; The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2002.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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