Boyz N the Hood

Increase The Peace

Boyz N the Hood is a 1991 drama film, and John Singleton's directorial debut. It enjoyed widespread critical acclaim from critics and the public alike, and helped jump-start the "urban crime drama" genre. It also received two Academy Award nominations (for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay), making Singleton the youngest person (at 23 years old) and the first African-American to be nominated for the Best Director award. Often praised as the best 'hood film ever made.

Compton, a neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles, is a place where drive-by shootings and unemployment are rampant. But it is also a place where harmony coexists with adversity, especially for three young men growing up there: Darren "Doughboy" Baker (Ice Cube), an unambitious drug dealer; his half-brother Ricky (Morris Chestnut), a college-bound teenage father; and Ricky's best friend Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who aspires to a brighter future. In a world where a trip to the store can end in death, the friends have diverse reactions to their bleak surroundings. Tre's resolve is strengthened by a strong father (Laurence Fishburne) who does his best to keep him on the right track, but the lessons Tre learns are put to the test when tragedy strikes close to home, and violence seems like the only recourse.

Tropes used in Boyz N the Hood include:
  • Awesome McCoolname: Tre's dad, Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne)... and yes, that's his actual name.
  • Boomerang Bigot: Officer Coffey is a black policeman who shows apathy and hostility to blacks.
  • Catholic School Girls Rule: Part of Tre's attraction to Brandi is that she's Catholic. Brandi herself subverts this trope, wanting to wait until marriage as her faith dictates. She changes her mind and she and Tre have Their First Time after he's harassed by Officer Coffey.
  • Crapsack World: The ghetto.
  • Color Coded for Your Convenience: Though never directly stated, it is implied that Doughboy and his friends (who are frequently shown wearing blue clothing) are members of the Crips, while Ferris and his crew (who wear red clothes and drive a red car) are Bloods.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Played for Drama.
  • Cycle of Revenge: Doughboy, Monster, Tre, and Dooky plan revenge on Ferris and his cronies for murdering Doughboy's brother. Doughboy is murdered in turn.
  • Dad the Veteran: Furious served in Vietnam so he could avoid the criminal lifestyle and be someone Tre looks up to. The only time he mentions it is when he warns Tre about the army, but given his stern and disciplined nature (not to mention his unwillingness to shoot an intruder) shades of it do show through.
  • Disappeared Dad: Ricky and Doughboy have different fathers, yet neither is around. In fact, Furious is the only father in the neighborhood. And Ricky becomes one to his son after getting gunned down.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: Ricky and Doughboy are both murdered, but Tre and Brandi make it out of the 'hood and go on to college.
  • Follow the Leader: This film popularized the urban crime drama.
  • Hollywood California: To be specific, Compton.
  • Michael Jackson: The movie doesn't actually feature him or his music, but young Doughboy wears a "Beat It" T-shirt.
  • The Nineties: One of the decade's defining movies, recognized as such by even the Library of Congress, and preserved in its National Film Registry.
  • Opt Out: Furious convinces Tre not to take part in the final fight against Ferris. This turns out to be the right choice.
  • Parental Favoritism: Strongly implied that between Ricky and Doughboy, their mother preferred the former.
  • Precision F-Strike: Furious drops one near the end when reasoning with Tre:

Furious: Give me the motherfucking gun Tre.

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