Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Boyz n the Hood Blu-ray Movie Review

A seminal coming-of-age classic earns a good Blu-ray debut.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 17, 2011

A bullet don't have no name on it.

Director John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood is a gut-wrenching, hard-hitting, and brutally honest look at the impact that the violence and despair of South Central Los Angeles has on the lives of several young African Americans as they live their lives as best they can amidst the chaos of the neighborhood and the hopelessness that surrounds them. A superior film in every regard, Boyz n the Hood succeeds not exclusively because of its steady cast and quality direction, but primarily due to its unflinching realism, high drama, and tight script, the latter of which develops its characters extraordinarily well, a bit too broadly perhaps but to the point that audiences may easily identify with them no matter their race, class, or place they call home, be it in South Central Los Angeles of thousands of miles away in America's biggest cities or smallest towns. The film is one of sweeping emotions that quickly hit home but settle in to trouble viewers for the long haul after the film ends. Boyz n the Hood engenders so many questions that have no real answers. The picture, however, doesn't set out to solve the problems of the 'hood but instead provide a snapshot, a glimpse into what it's like to live in what almost seems to be an inescapable prison of sorts that slowly, in the blink of an eye, and oftentimes both aims to take away everything a man may have, his spirit included, as the violence and distress take their tolls on all who enter and the few who leave.

A day in the life of the 'hood.

In the year 1984, several young boys from South Central Los Angeles get a first-hand taste of what life may very well have in store for them when they discover a dead body within the maze that is the concrete jungle of their 'hood. Amongst them are brothers Doughboy and Ricky and newcomer Tré, the latter of whom has recently been all but dumped on his father by his divorced mother so as to learn how to be a man. Though it's not the best environment in which to raise a child, Tré's wise father "Furious" (Laurence Fishburne) does all he can to make sure his boy works hard, learns his lessons, and figures out the complexities of life that are many times over more difficult in the 'hood. Years later, the friends have grown up. Doughboy (Ice Cube) has just been released from prison. Ricky is well on his way to escaping the 'hood on a coming football scholarship, and Tré's done all he can to stay out of trouble by getting good grades and finding meaningful employment at the local mall, biding his time until he, too, can get out and go to college. Unfortunately, violence and other negatives are everyday intruders into their lives and plans. Can the boys in the 'hood maneuver the windy and dangerous road to adulthood with their lives, souls, and friendship intact?

Boyz n the Hood is a movie about the journey through life, but a life few know and even fewer understand. It's a life in which guns are pulled from cars, young men are targets but not always aggressors, and helicopters patrol the skies, the sounds of their ominous and continuous presence becoming a part of life and not a distraction or a cause for alarm, further reinforcing the feel that a neighborhood has eroded into a dangerous battleground/police state hybrid. Through all the distractions, discouragements, temptations, evils, and violence, there remain glimmers of hope, people who value common sense, understand the importance of education, respect the role of civility, and aim to teach others how to better their lives, even in the midst of absolute chaos. In Boyz n the Hood, that spirit of hope and common sense is preached by "Furious," Tré's father. He's a man who's smarter than his circumstances suggest and who has accepted, embraced, and learned from his mistakes and the mistakes he's seen made around him. In the 'hood, he's not just an intelligent man, he's a downright sage, a fountain of not only useful information but life-saving and perspective-shaping information who knows not only what it takes to survive, but why it's important to escape. The only question is whether anyone's listening. He is the most critical character in Boyz n the Hood, the one man who seems to completely understand -- though not like or support -- his environment and who maintains a straight, even keel no matter the circumstances.

The remainder of the cast is strong, but there's no denying that, in the end, this is Laurence Fishburne's film, even if Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s, Ice Cube's, and Morris Chestnut's characters are more immediately central to the plot. Each of those three, and the supporting players around them, are fantastic, if not a bit more broadly rather than personally and intricately developed as they might otherwise be. Still, as a Character Drama, Boyz n the Hood is an absolute success. The film engenders a wide range of emotions, from satisfaction to uncertainty, from fear to anger, and everything in between, except, maybe, for absolute happiness, for even in the best of times in the movie, there's something to remind audiences that whatever good there is in the 'hood seems at best transitory in nature, leaving as fast as it arrived as if it knew it wasn't welcome and wouldn't be embraced, whether by choice or by circumstance. The picture oozes with authenticity, thanks in large part to that overwhelming negative vibe that runs through it, as sad but true as that may be. First-time Writer/Director John Singleton doesn't set out to make a Fairy Tale; his movie is meant to make people think and to see what's happing in their own figurative back yard. It's a movie that in a roundabout way aims to make a difference. Singleton understands that providing the snapshot, a lasting image of what life is like in the 'hood, is only the beginning. It'll take more than a movie to make things right, but even if it's only a starting point, a call to attention, well, that's better than nothing.

Boyz n the Hood Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Boyz n the Hood rolls onto Blu-ray with a steady 1080p transfer that's way more hit than miss. Sony's latest catalogue transfer does the twenty-year-old picture proud, displaying a quality film-like image that retains its natural grain structure and yields good, positive details across the board, particularly evidenced in clothing textures and the nitty-gritty fine details of the concrete urban jungle. The image lacks much in the way of natural depth and a soft and hazy veneer comes into play from time to time, but such aren't deal-breaking or even really nagging issues. Colors are very well balanced; whether green grasses or the many hues as seen on clothing, the transfer handles every one of them with a natural flavor that serves as one of the transfer's best assets and most stable elements. Blacks are fair, though they sometimes look either a touch washed out or a hair overwhelming and detrimental to finer foreground details as noted during a few nighttime shots. For a twenty-year-old film, the results are quite good. Suffice it to say, this is the absolute best Boyz n the Hood has ever looked for general home viewing.

Boyz n the Hood Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Boyz n the Hood's Blu-ray debut features a dynamic DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's no shortage of activity in this one; whether gunfire, thumping bass, buzzing helicopters, or the din of the 'hood, the track always has something to offer and play out of every speaker. The surround channels are nearly as active as the fronts, playing a critical part in transporting listeners into the urban environment so as to better understand all that makes it a uniquely dangerous place. Clarity could use a boost at times, and bass is occasionally more concerned with power than it is tightness and accuracy, but overall the track proves itself time and again to be a winner, whether in the delivery of the heaviest sound effects or the lightest atmospherics alike. Dialogue is strong and center-weighted, though there's a time or two when it plays with a slightly tinny feel. Generally, however, the track does everything well and proves one of the more wholly immersive catalogue presentations out there.

Boyz n the Hood Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Boyz n the Hood arrives on Blu-ray with an honest assortment of extras, including an audio commentary track, a high quality retrospective feature, and a collection of deleted scenes. Note that the title of one of the deleted scenes contains a major spoiler for the film.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director John Singleton discusses the film's place in his career, how much of it was influenced by events in his own life, filming locales, the process of writing the script, the challenges and rewards of working with various members of the cast, the film's structure and story and themes, and plenty more. Singleton proves quite knowledgeable in discussing not only his own film but the real life it portrays. Fans will find a great deal of value here.
• The Enduring Significance of Boyz n the Hood (1080p, 27:45): A wonderful retrospective supplement that features much of the primary cast cast as well as Writer/Director John Singleton looking back at the picture's history and legacy. They speak on the themes of the film, the casting process, its importance then and now, its reception upon release, the project's novelty, its placing in the National Film Registry, and more. There's no shortage of good insight here and the piece does a fine job of encapsulating what Boyz n the Hood is all about.
• Friendly Fire: Making an Urban Legend (480p, 43:17): Cast and crew offer up a nice overview piece, discussing the picture's authenticity, real life in the time of Boyz n the Hood, the parallels between Singleton's real life and his film, the process of making the film, the casting process, the quality of the script, the film's reception, its Oscar nominations, and its legacy.
• Deleted Scenes (480p, 4:25): Tre Discusses His Future with Mom and Furious Confronts Doughboy After Ricky is Shot.
• Music Videos (480p): Growin' Up in the Hood by Compton's Most Wanted (4:47) and Just Ask Me To by Tevin Campbell (4:13).
• Audition Videos (480p, 1:34): Viewers may watch auditions by Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, and Tyra Ferrell.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.
• BD-Live.

Boyz n the Hood Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Boyz n the Hood excels as a coming of age film that's unlike any other of its kind. Where most characters in such pictures learn more about themselves, those in Boyz n the Hood struggle to figure out where they are and why their environment is so conducive to the violence and hopelessness that's squeezed all but the literal life out of them, and even then, the violence takes its fair share of that, too. They must learn the whys of where they live before they can focus on the hows of improving their own lives, but as every day goes by a little bit of them is killed off as opportunities and hopes and dreams pass them by. This is a challenging film to watch and one that's even more difficult to understand. It's a rewarding but also a punishing experience all at once, a film that transcends its place and time and people as a serious and unflinching look at a slice of life few ever know. Sony's Blu-ray release of Boyz n the Hood features a solid technical presentation and a fair array of quality extras. Highly recommended.