Boyz N the Hood

In his acclaimed and controversial debut, writer-director John Singleton tells the story of ten-year-old Tre, who is sent to live with his father, Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne), in the gang-plagued Crenshaw neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.

Tre's best friend, Darrin "Doughboy" Baker, gets arrested for shoplifting and sent to juvenile detention. Seven years later Doughboy (Ice Cube) is released and can no longer relate to Tre (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) who, under his father's sage advice and guidance, has turned into a solid student and is working a steady job.

The daily assaults and temptations of a world poisoned by poverty, violence, and racism eat at the wizened Tre but end up being a familiar embrace for Doughboy. They cannot survive together, but their friendship continues to bind them. Boyz N the Hood depicts this struggle with unerring veracity and wrenching humanity.