Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘Menace II Society’?
Menace II Society

Menace II Society (1993)

tomatometer

88

Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 1

No consensus yet.

audience

88

liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 59,245

My Rating

Movie Info

This debut offering from twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes was one of the most critically-acclaimed urban crime films to appear in the wake of John Singleton's influential Boyz N the Hood. Set in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, the film is narrated by 18-year-old Caine (Tyrin Turner), a drug dealer and car thief who lives with his religious grandparents. After graduating from high school, Caine shows no ambition beyond hanging out with his friends, so his grandparents kick him out.

R, 1 hr. 44 min.

Drama, Action & Adventure

,

Jul 3, 2001

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Menace II Society Trailer & Photos

More Trailers and Videos (2)

Cast

Critic Reviews for Menace II Society

All Critics (34) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (5) | DVD (2)

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 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Bleak, brilliant, and unsparing: a full-scale vision of the madness that is tearing up the black inner city.

March 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | Comment
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Fierce, violent and searing in its observation, the film makes previous excursions seem like a stroll through the park.

March 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Leonard Klady
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

If Menace II Society is terrific on ambiance, it is considerably less successful in revealing character.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Nothing the Hughes brothers have done in their videos for Tone Loc, Tupac Shakur and others prepares you for the controlled intensity and maturity they bring to their stunning feature debut.

May 12, 2001 Comment
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Anyone who views this film thoughtfully must ask why our society makes guns easier to obtain and use than does any other country in the civilized world. And that is only the most obvious of the many questions the film inspires.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comments (2)
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The Hughes brothers' debut is an exhilarating urban nightmare.

March 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment
Film4 Source: Film4

An impressive first feature from the 21-year-old twin brother directing team of Albert and Allen Hughes.

March 17, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The most stunning feature debut in the new African-American cinema, even more so than Boyz N the Hood to which the coming-of age feature bears thematic resemblance.

December 27, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Regrettably, the Hughes brothers' first feature is a compendium of clichés.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment
Geoff Andrew
Time Out Source: Time Out

It makes the Hood seem worse than Vietnam.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

Um retrato impiedoso (e real) de uma sociedade preconceituosa, injusta e massacrante que transforma jovens em ameaças e que, infelizmente, é encontrada em todo o mundo.

April 18, 2005 Comment
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Stylistically the film is brilliant, making repeat viewings highly appealing.

November 6, 2004 Comment
Douglas Pratt
DVDLaser Source: DVDLaser

One of greatest filmmaking achievements of the 1990s.

September 16, 2003 Full Review | Comment
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Strong stuff, but the film-making's a little rough around the edges.

May 23, 2003 Comment
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

A more honest and better made movie than any of the other group of films made about black neighborhoods in the early 90's.

April 28, 2003 Comment
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Menace II Society

View All

"yea, ima git a double burger... and some fries..""ay, ay, nigga what da fuck i say? wit cheese, mutha fucka, wit cheese!"

June 4, 2009
LoughnerWasLucid
Coxxie Mild Sauce

Super Reviewer

just short of boyz in the hood as an urban drama with real chops, the film is a bit more reliant on entertaiment than reality than boyz in the hood is. overall however, the film also boasts great performances from nobody's and sells its message better than almost any film of this genre. worthwhile for any film fan

January 26, 2007
sanjurosamurai
danny d

Super Reviewer

Menace II Society Quotes

View All

    1. Caine Lawson: My grandpa asked me one time if I care whether I live or die. Yeah, I do... and now it's too late.
    – Submitted by redwan a (3 months ago)
    1. Grocery Store Man: i feel sorry for your mother
    2. O-Dog: what you say about my moma
    – Submitted by Ronan B (13 months ago)

DVD

Top Rentals

29% The Vow
94% Mission: Impossible Ghost Protoc...
87% The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
28% Underworld Awakening
85% Chronicle
More…

New On DVD This Week

65% The Woman in Black
25% This Means War
94% The Secret World of Arrietty
35% Red Tails
88% Certified Copy (Copie Conforme)
More…

Movies Like Menace II Society

Boyz n the Hood
Scarface
Don't Be a Menace to Sout...
View All

Latest News for Menace II Society

March 19, 2008:
Total Recall: Directors Who Paved the Way for Tyler Perry
This week, the prolific Tyler Perry reels off Meet the Browns, his latest examination of African...

November 2, 2006:
"Kung Fu: The Movie" (Finally) Looks to be Moving Forward
Remember that cool old TV show called "Kung Fu"? Nah, you're probably too young, but hey,...

View All

What's Hot On RT

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray

Red Tails, This Means War

The Words
The Words

Trailer: In bed with Zoe and Bradley

Amazing Spider-Man
Amazing Spider-Man

Video: Your friendly four minute preview

The We and the I
The We and the I

Latest trailer from Michel Gondry

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 21,945 taken
created 16 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 53,198 taken
created 19 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 32,333 taken
created 19 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 32,914 taken
created 18 months ago

Movie News

View All

Featured on RT

Comments

Top Headlines

Fresh Links

From Model to Actress
From Model to Actress External Link
 Moviefone profiles the famous Sports Illustrated swimsuit models who have tried their hand at acting.
Summer Movie Predictions
Summer Movie Predictions External Link
 HitFix goes over who will rule the multiplex this Summer.
Catch Up with <em>The Avengers</em>
Catch Up with The Avengers External Link
 Take a look back at how we've arrived at this weekend's release.
Superhero Movies on Netflix
Superhero Movies on Netflix External Link
 Need to get into a heroic mood for The Avengers? Here are 10 superhero flicks you can find on Instant Watching!
Wicked Smart Actors
Wicked Smart Actors External Link
 In observance of Spring Break, TIME looks back at a class of actors who showed real star power in the classroom.
Follow RT on Twitter!
Follow RT on Twitter! External Link
 Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Mobile
Copyright © Flixster, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service | Ad Choices
In partnership with TMZ.com