Menace II Society (1993)
92%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 4 nominations
Told with grit and verve by the Hughes brothers in their feature debut, Menace II Society is a gangland epic that breathes with authenticity while steeped in style.
Menace II Society is a movie that will make you feel like you need a hug and a stiff drink at the same time. It’s a raw and unflinching look at the realities of life in the inner city, and it doesn’t pull any punches. But despite the bleakness of the subject matter, there’s a certain power to the film that’s hard to deny. The Hughes brothers may not have all the answers, but they’re asking the right questions, and that’s worth something. So if you’re in the mood for a movie that will make you think and feel, Menace II Society is definitely worth checking out. Just maybe don’t watch it on a first date.
Production Company(ies)
Charles K. Feldman Group Warner Bros.,
Distributor
20th Century Fox of Germany, New Line Cinema
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Grape Street, Watts, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong bloody violence, drug use and pervasive language
Year of Release
1993
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo Dolby Surround 7.1
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 37m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 26, 1993 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 3, 2001
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Tyrin Turner, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vonte Sweet, Larenz Tate, MC Eight, Ryan Williams, Charles Dutton, directed by Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes, written by Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes, Tyger Williams, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Peter Rainer, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Owen Gleiberman, Ian Nathan, Leonard Klady, Geoff Andrew, Kelechi Ehenulo, R MPAA rating, produced by Darin Scott, gangland epic, Los Angeles projects, crime, violence, authenticity, style, teacher, supportive girlfriend, tragic events, escape, gritty, verve, hopelessness, haloed view, teenage crime, contemporary Watts, bleak, brilliant, unsparing, madness, black inner city, visceral power, devastating, social commentary, racial language, black v white propaganda, self-destruction, futility, 90s blacksploitation films, directed by Singleton or Lee, Little that we haven’t seen elsewhere to more effect
Worldwide gross: $27,912,072
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $57,980,496
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,269
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,322,846
US/Canada gross: $27,912,072
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $57,980,496
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,014
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,816,393
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $7,927,622
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,018
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $7,270,393
Production budget ranking: 1,800
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,915,107
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $46,794,996
ROI to date (est.): 418%
ROI ranking: 324
Jada Pinkett Smith – Ronnie
Vonte Sweet – Sharif
Larenz Tate – Kevin ‘O-Dog’
MC Eight – A-Wax
Ryan Williams – Stacy
Director(s)
Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes
Writer(s)
Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes, Tyger Williams
Producer(s)
Darin Scott
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (7)
The Hughes brothers are torn between the hopelessness of what they depict and a kind of haloed view of a better life.
March 7, 2021
Peter Rainer
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Don’t let the silly styling of the title put you off; this is a powerful, convincing, and terrifying look at teenage crime in contemporary Watts.
March 17, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Bleak, brilliant, and unsparing: a full-scale vision of the madness that is tearing up the black inner city.
March 17, 2008 | Rating: A
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Lewd and violent, but undeniably affecting.
March 17, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Fierce, violent and searing in its observation, the film makes previous excursions seem like a stroll through the park.
March 17, 2008
Leonard Klady
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Regrettably, the Hughes brothers’ first feature is a compendium of clichs.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Now that it is a Criterion release with a stunning 4K restoration, [Menace II Society] remains an important chapter in understanding why the streets are more than what is stereotypically portrayed in the media.
December 17, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Kelechi Ehenulo
FILMHOUNDS Magazine
Remains a powerful indictment of a country which was failing young black men in in the 1990s.
December 6, 2021
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
From its shocking opening sequence to its fatalistic finale, Menace II Society is a raw and (mostly) realistic drama.
November 27, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
There’s no denying the visceral power of the Hughes Brothers’ vision, but – with the exception of Pinkett – it’s hard to have sympathy for any of the characters.
March 7, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
John Ferguson
Radio Times
Rather than being a positive step toward a solution, this one-sided, inflammatory film and its after-effects on impressionable youth may be yet another menace for American society to suffer.
March 7, 2021 | Rating: C+
Steve Persall
Tampa Bay Times
It’s a movie that takes you where you might not want to go, and makes you care about hell in a very small place.
March 7, 2021
Stephen Hunter
Baltimore Sun…
Plot
This urban nightmare chronicles several days in the life of Caine Lawson, following his high-school graduation, as he attempts to escape his violent existence in the projects of Watts, CA.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no mention of the film BUILD YOUR OWN BOWL or anyone in the cast on Fresh Kernels.
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