A ★★★★ review of Menace II Society (1993)
The Hughes Brothers’ debut film covers hood life in a bleak and nihilistic style
In 1993, I was only 8 years old and therefore was too young and also did not have the interest in seeing Menace II Society. However, I remember hearing about it on the news and on local television programs. The way the film was described gave me the impression that it was almost a horror film. After I first saw the film as a teenager, I chalked this up to the typical 1990s panic that seemed to be about any piece of media. I saw it as a very visceral film but nothing like what it described as controversial.
Upon watching the 4K edition from the Criterion Collection, I realized that maybe that horror connection isn’t too far off.
Menace II Society opens with Caine (Tyrin Turner) and O-Dog (Larenz Tate) in a store buying beers. They are followed around by the Asian store owners, and before you know it, both store owners are shot dead by O-Dog. It’s fast, and the two killings happen off-screen, but it feels invocative of a horror film where someone is killed in the opening moments to tell you what to expect. In the opening scene of Menace II Society, directors Allen and Albert Hughes waste not a moment presenting their thesis in this film. Any life can be cut short just like that. It’s instantaneous, chaotic, and unpredictable.
