Boyz 'n the Hood -- Dillon Aretz
a little late--
This film is a picture of a broken system. The Americana most Minnesotans grow up with is consistent; from generation to generation, times changing, but still comfortable. The laws are respected--aside from bending the rules of speed limits or underage drinking--and we have no fear of our neighbors. The film shows a world where the slightest spark-- like bumping into someone--can lead to homicide. The police, ever present with their helicopter lights, only swing by to harass the innocent, and not do a damn thing about the gun violence they know is lurking about. Yet, the unity that Furious wants in order to preserve culture is a far cry from the unity shown during the Watts and Rodney King riots. Those riots were tension-related, as people came together to show their common aggression toward oppressive white society. The movie, then, shows that because of the constant threat of black-on-black violence, the unity of a riot is the closest thing to unity the community will achieve. Whether or not what Furious says is true--that, because of liquor and gun shops on every corner that they whites are trying to get them to kill themselves off--there is a definite vision of necessary escape. Tre's mother gets out of the neighborhood as soon as she is able. Tre and his girlfriend go all the way to Georgia for school. By the end, all of the good characters have moved out or died.