I was about 14 the first time I saw Boyz n the Hood and it was a hard-hitting emotional roller coaster that stuck with me for a very long time. Even now the better part of 30 years later, Boyz n the Hood still holds up and is a movie that even though I know what is going to happen hits me pretty hard.
How to Download Boyz n the Hood
Boyz n the Hood was released on July 12, 1991. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also, the second film directed by John Singleton – Poetic Justice.
The Movie Review
The movie is about three friends growing up in the hood in Crenshaw Los Angeles. We have Tre who has been getting into trouble at school and he has been sent to live with his father who goes by the nickname Furious. It is hoped that he will be able to help Tre straighten up and live a good life.
Right next to Tre lives his best friends, half-brothers, Doughboy and Ricky and they have a friend called Chris. We see them all as young guys, but Doughboy and Chris get arrested for burglary and the movie time jumps several years when Doughboy is released from being incarcerated and he reunites with Ricky and Tre.
The movie is about these three very different young men trying to live their lives. Tre wants to go to college and get out of the hood and do well for himself. Ricky has a child, but he is a star football player and is on the cusp of getting a scholarship. Doughboy on the other hand lives that gangster life, but he is still a loyal friend and brother.
Portrayal of Hardships
Boyz n the Hood is a movie that does not hold back on how hard it is for people to grow up in a place like this. From gang violence to being unfairly treated by the police, this movie was the first time I saw the “real” effects of the stuff I had heard glorified in rap music for many years and it was quite shocking at the time to see it.
Father-Son Dynamic
One of my favorite aspects of Boyz n the Hood and something that I have grown to love even more as I have gotten older is the relationship between Tre and Furious. You know, if I had to do a top ten movie dads list, Furious would be on that list. He tries to teach his son discipline and respect, but he does it with fairness and love and Laurence Fishburn plays this role so well.
Outstanding Performances
Actually, the whole cast in this movie is great. Cuba Gooding Jr as Tre is amazing and seeing Ice Cube who I thought was so cool as a rapper in a movie like this when I was a kid was so awesome. It is a movie full of real and hard hitting performances! The scene where Ricky’s mom breaks down or when Tre decides that he cannot go through with his revenge plans are just so well acted and really do get you in the feels.
Conclusion
Boyz n the Hood is one of those movies that is well worth getting the 4K release of as it is a transfer that has been handled with a lot of love and care. However, no matter how many times I have seen this over the years, it never gets any easier to watch. This is an essential movie for any movie collection.
