John Singleton's Boyz 'n the Hood is a first film that shows a lot of promise, despite its faults. It succeeds in immersing the audience in the South Central LA ambience of urban black culture with a surprising realism in dialogue and setting, as only one who knows the environment first hand can do. But once this is accomplished the story turns more Hollywood, and what initially impressed becomes slightly phoney and clichTd.
Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), is a bright youth with a lot of promise who starts to get sucked into the urban street gang scene. His mother (Angela Basset) sends him to live with his father (Lawrence Fishburne), who tries to inculcate responsibility in him with tough love. He becomes friends with Ricky (Morris Chestnut), a budding football star, and Doughboy, played by Ice Cube, who lends the film a gritty authenticity with his role as a gangster.
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