Odd choice for Thanksgiving, isn't it? I chose it mainly because it was on my list, runs only 97 minutes, and isn't another animation. Also, it had been a while since my last Black-centric viewing. (Does Hamilton count?)
Set in L.A., most of the story takes place shortly after the Rodney King riots, when protagonist Caine (Tyrin Turner) is 18. His grandparents (Arnold Johnson and Marilyn Coleman) are proud of him for graduating high school, but his future doesn't hold much promise. Against their pious Christian upbringing, he gets involved in armed robbery, drug dealing, and worse. A way out of his dangerous lifestyle presents itself when two friends offer to take him with them to Kansas, but while he'd like to escape, he has a hard time imagining that new life. Will he ever turn around?
Caine may be uncertain that he even cares whether he lives, but I do. He's rightly appalled by some of his comrades, who murder over an insult and never regret it. (I'm tempted to nickname them Ghettofellas.) He tries to kill only for proportionate revenge, and even then, he doesn't feel good about it. Only in the third act does he do anything I deem despicable, and I still hoped for his redemption rather than sheer comeuppance.
No, I don't mean redemption in a Christian sense necessarily. Caine's most virtuous friend, Sharif (Vonte Sweet), has joined the Nation of Islam, and a non-Muslim associate (Charles S. Dutton) observes that Sharif's conversion has set him on a better path. Not that that's a high bar in context.
If you're wondering how the police come across, well, they get only a few minutes of screentime. Mostly, they seem fair enough under the circumstances, but two cops definitely deviate from protocol in a brutal way. To say that there's a pro or anti message is a stretch. The few non-Blacks we see outside the force are not explicitly racist, but they're certainly leery of the young men and the neighborhood by night.
Apart from shootings and beatings, the main reason for an R rating is swearing. I heard at least a dozen bleepable words before the New Line Cinema logo sequence ended. It uses the F word even more than The Big Lebowski. Alas, a couple swears come from the mouths of little kids, tho that doesn't bother me as much so soon after watching The Tin Drum. There is also a sex scene herein, but no private parts are visible this time. And I understand that half the cocaine on set was real.
The Hughes Brothers had wanted to direct a more shocking film, cutting primarily to avoid an NC-17. I thought it was shocking enough already, without sacrificing credibility. What it could use a little more of is freshness. Nothing feels especially new, at least anymore.
I'd recommend Boyz n the Hood first. For further depiction of this sordid side of the country, I suggest Fruitvale Station. But MIIS does outrank Straight Outta Compton where I'm concerned, except in educational value.
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