I mean, seriously. The first scene involves a man shooting two people just because he was insulted. Then there is no dis
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fiatlux-1 — 14 years ago(December 08, 2011 11:09 PM)
The clerk didn't deserve to die for stating an opinion. He should have just kept his mouth shut.
I agree. He shouldn't have made the comment, but to snuff out 2 lives for that?! And he enjoyed killing too, that scene made me sick.
I actually agree with most of your post. What WAS the message this film was trying to send? That you should care if you live or die? That the choices we make affect us? That we're NOT products of our environment? OK, I agree with all of those but
Cain never seemed to resist any temptation! In fact, he was almost the opposite!
The film was rather dull because of this; I agree it would have been much more interesting if he was shown struggling with the conflict.
I didn't think anything much would change in Atlanta for Cain either, in fact. I thought he'd end up acting the same way after a while.
The final voiceover statement by Cain felt tacked on, and didn't have the visual impact it could have had Cain been more a character like Ricky or Tre from "Boyz in the Hood."
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush." -
Mandingo609 — 12 years ago(February 07, 2014 06:10 PM)
Technically, they were kids. I mean, With all the bullcrap that Beiber is doing, the media and people commenting on Message Boards calls him a kid. What is he? 20? Or, does that title only applies to certain people when they commit criminal acts?
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JohnHitch — 14 years ago(October 14, 2011 09:04 PM)
You're not supposed to care, or empathize with the characters. You're supposed to understand what life is like for one who grows up in a gang culture. The main guy, was trying to find himself, uncertain of his life. His grandparents raised him, in a seemingly okay home yet he found himself playing around with thugs. It took near death experiences, getting arrested to show him that it wasn't worth it. That's another theme, that people can change; not all people mind you. This is evident for the kid who shot the Korean Couple and showed the tape around. He's a sociopath, who is so ingrained into the culture, he's lost his way out. Thug Life, is his existence.
Why would you possibly think a film like this would make you feel for the characters? -
EmilylnWonderland — 14 years ago(October 15, 2011 04:36 PM)
If you're not supposed to care about the characters, or empathize with them in some way, or even relate to them, then what's the point in watching a movie about them? That's the writer's job, to get you to care about them in some way.
If you can watch a movie about characters you don't care about, then more power to you. -
JohnHitch — 14 years ago(October 15, 2011 04:46 PM)
What's the point in watching? To understand, what gang culture is like. it's an non romanticized portrait of what life is like in the ghetto. The write's job, is to tell a story, and tell it well. It has to speak to you, but you don't have to relate to the characters for it to be great. Besides them being human and flawed. You really don't need to care, don't take this the wrong way but it's seemingly juvenile to expect to care about every character who's the protagonist of a movie. The bigger picture and underlying message or idea is what drives me to watch a movie.
But then of course, this is all opinion. The world would be pretty bland if we all thought the same. -
fell-ashlyn — 14 years ago(October 20, 2011 11:02 AM)
I think the OP is missing the message in the movie. As I stated in a previous post and others have also said, it's not about caring for them. It's about there life in this lifestyle and how Caine actions cause a re-action.
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phumanchu — 14 years ago(October 23, 2011 06:05 AM)
John, you hit this bang on. I hope to never see the day all plots, protagonists and antagonists are molded into a complete generic copy-cat of each other. Menace II Society was an eye opening brutal account of someones experiences growing up down near Compton Ave. and shame on any one of you who does not appreciate the message of this filmJohnHitch hit the nail right on the head, if you hate on him you're a troll.
That's just meSup? -
sharebear42019 — 14 years ago(December 12, 2011 12:38 PM)
It's funny no ones mentioning how he was corrupted at a very young age you can't really blame him! I mean come on did your parents friends put mault liquor in your mouth at like 8 years old? Or have you seen your father shoot an kill someone in front of you? Doubtful. Caine did. It was obvious the way he was gonna turn out. At least he TRIED to get out of the life
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JackDnCoke — 12 years ago(August 30, 2013 02:36 AM)
Or maybe you're both just retarded. "He had to be gangsta cause he lived near gangsta's" you ficking kidding me? Ignorant twats like you 2, and pretty much everyone else posting in here besides OP, are the reason things are so messed up these days. No accountability and make up bs excuses to blame everyone BUT the criminals.
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roachbusters — 14 years ago(January 07, 2012 07:52 PM)
I think the point the movie was trying to make was that Caine was neither a hero nor a villain; he was merely the product of a situation and circumstances beyond his control. He was a fundamentally decent person (or at least had the potential to be one) who made one bad decision after another, and that was why he ended up as he did. Who is to say that you or I, living in an environment like that, would not end up the same way? Moreover, I think Caine more than redeemed himself in the end. His actions in the end of the movie prove that, given the chance, he could have turned his life around and become a better person.
As for O-Dog, he was a disgusting, amoral sociopath, and I spent the whole movie hoping his character would be killed off. -
DAMIAN001 — 14 years ago(January 22, 2012 06:46 AM)
And that's EXACTLY why O-Dog doesn't die in the movie. You're supposed to hate some disdain for his character, for killing the Korean store owners and the crack addict. This goes hand in hand with the ending; where Sharif, the almost polar opposite of O-Dog, gets gunned down in the drive-by along with Caine; while O-Dog is still alive with barely only a scratch. It demonstrates that the ghetto doesn't care if you've been good or bad, you can still be a target of gang violence.
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Ghost the Lost Soul — 14 years ago(February 10, 2012 11:14 PM)
I agree with you on O-Dog. He was long overdue to have more holes in him than Swiss cheese, but karma came back on him when we see him getting stuffed into the back seat of a cop car.
People of the IMDB forums: Please learn how to type! -
Troville_1990 — 12 years ago(November 28, 2013 11:12 PM)
Yeah, strange that people like this only crawl out of the woodwork to complain about reprehensible criminal characters when they're black. Must just be an odd coincidence.
I'd buy that for a dollar!
My Top 30:
http://www.imdb.com/list/advVTZN4ISg/ -
daejeeduma — 11 years ago(August 11, 2014 06:48 PM)
because most folks in the hood either personally know are involved with some of the activities featured in this film
you won't survive a day in the hood, empathize that they're born into this downward spiral, and count your blessings that you weren't -
duklec — 9 years ago(September 17, 2016 05:57 PM)
Well, if you want a protagonist who stays strong throughout living in the ghetto, watch Boyz in the Hood. But that protagonist was fortunate to have a dad that kept him straight when he showed signs of becoming trouble.
This protagonist had a junkie for a mom and a murderous drug dealer for a dad. When his parents died when he was 10, his dad's drug dealing friend showed him his way of surviving in the hood, which was selling drugs to get by. He never really cared about school or his future by the time he graduated, as he was too used to his environment to imagine he could do something with his life other than robbing and drug dealing. So yeah, he turned out to be a beep up person. But he still was presented chances to do the right thing, but his gang banger mentality made him make the wrong choices.
I like both movies as they delve into socialization, and you can compare and contrast the two protagonists and see what a difference a positive upbringing can do to a person growing up in a negative environment.