Poverty Under Palm Trees: The World of LA Hood Films

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*

The cityscape of Los Angeles remains an interesting experiment in seeing how capitalism works among the masses. Palm trees and beaches, gangs, and homelessness. Within the same day, you can start from a pristinely structured section of neighborhoods and shopping strips that require a minimum of an arm and a leg to even think about shopping, and eventually cap off the day by ending up within a gang-infested neighborhood or homeless encampment. Sure, this isn’t the only city to feature two sides of the same social coin. However, the extreme opposites of the ‘beauty scale’ that the city of LA lives within are stark enough for stories to be written about it. In my humble opinion, Los Angeles can be one of the most breathtakingly beautiful cities to set your eyes on, but no one can deny that it also offers some of the most heartbreakingly grim and rugged sections of squalor. I certainly do not hate the city, and I believe neither do the filmmakers who dabble within the genre mentioned in this article.

Now, perspective is all it takes to see the introduction of a neighborhood as a sign to stay out or to come on in. What one face may find to be a terrifyingly dangerous side to humanity, the other side sees it as their home, their stomping grounds, rampant with best friends and close relatives. This interesting juxtaposition of social hierarchy leads my cinematic perspective of writing to mention a rabbit hole of movies that touch upon a fascinating lifestyle that I know nothing of beyond various mediums of entertainment. These pieces of social and personal commentary are the genres of LA hood movies. This rabbit hole is one that I am an ever-growing fan of, and have been such a fan for too long to remember. To quickly snap off what are, so far, my favorites are the pictures of Boyz n the Hood, Menace II Society, and Friday. Also, for the sake of this article’s length, I’m only mentioning the first Friday movie, but I recommend watching its sequels!

I understand that these are not the only kind of movies within these genres, with some others being The Wash, Baby Boy, and Don’t Be A Menace… (or going off of the film line and instead mentioning a series like Black Jesus). However, the three stories that I mention harbor the beats that I am most familiar with. No disrespect to the other pictures, whatsoever. As of right now, Menace II Society, Boyz n the Hood, and Friday are brought up first, sure because of my love for them, but also for them harboring a count of repeated viewings.

There is a profound sense of honesty in a genre like this, where there is family and friends, as well as territory, wars, and bloodshed. The concept of confiding within a homelife at war with every angle of society, including itself, is a deathly serious reality for many that I will not pretend to even barely relate to. But what I can see through these creative projects is heartfelt honesty. These writers, directors, and actors need to apologize to not a single viewer for this honesty. Too violent? Good. Too foul-mouthed? Good. Not enough “white” actors? Good. Doing anything else would be a serious disservice to stories taken from reality. Whether it’s a true story to the bone, loosely based on factual events, or as fictional as it can go, it can all be traced back by something resembling reality.

These films are diaries needing to be read aloud to the public so that they may educate the masses on how another circle of society lives. It must be brought out so that it can serve as a relational olive branch to those who are in or were within the confines of an underprivileged section of America. It’s easy to be ashamed of where one comes from and what race one is, yet these films back down from neither of these subjects. Say what you want about such a genre of cinematic lifestyle, but enough people lived it and enough people have written about it to be standing on its legs and be a genre worth a watch and more. The honesty spans not just the gang violence and social scrutiny, but in the wholesome and lighthearted unity. What Ice Cube wanted to show in the film Friday was that it wasn’t always dangerous in somewhere like South Central, that life wasn’t always what Menace II Society and Boyz n the Hood had shown. Friday showed a much lighter side to a face of the world that is brought into constant negative reception.

Cube shows us that the hood can be dangerous, but it can be a spot where friends hang out, families gather, and humor can resonate. You and your best friend can find yourselves spending time together and running through the neighborhood, getting into ridiculously funny and wholesome scenarios. You don’t always have to barely dodge crossfire and hold dying friends within your tears-soaked arms. That lighter tone in itself can seem like a creative risk because it deviates from the usual formula. This deviation also needs to be told. A tale that shades a lighter color of storytelling is just as important AND impactful as a tale that shades a much harsher, darker color. 

This darker shading of color is painted by prominently shown, as well as morally adjusted characters within films like Menace II Society and Boyz n the Hood, who sadly end up as victims. The main character and narrator of Menace II Society, Caine, is actually gunned down by crossfire, with the credits following closely behind. A supporting character of Boyz n the Hood, Ricky (who is prominent enough to pretty much be a main character) is also gunned down, this time in the back. Both were killed for nothing worth being killed over. Treating the main/major characters in such a way simply shows the audience that within this reality, no one is important enough to be susceptible to violence. No one is the “main character” and survives attacks because of any "plot armor." This kind of angle of course extends, not just in the reality of being in a dangerous neighborhood, but within life as a whole. Everyone starts with potential, no matter where they live. The question remains, how far will they take it? Within every one of these LA hood movies, it’s all about the present, whether surviving in it or living within it. It reminds us that the present is meant to be treated as its name suggests, a present, a gift - because none of us know when it could be taken from us…

***Okay, a little bit of a writer’s note, a lighter side that I want to include in the article. I know this is old news, but I just wanted to mention how excited I am that Ice Cube’s final Friday sequel was greenlit!!! I feel like I was hearing that rumor for so long, making me guess what a fourth Friday movie could entail. But it’s finally here! It’s been some of the best film-related news that I have heard this year. I know there are members of the movies, whether they were in one of them, two of them, or all three, who have passed away. It is going to feel different without them, like pieces of cinematic soulfulness are missing. Yet at the same time, I am hoping that their legacies are honored in a way that would be respectful to the actor, as well as the characters. I’m especially curious about how Mr. John Witherspoon will be remembered as Willy. With him having played Craig’s dad, I’m curious as to how Cube will write the Craig character without his pop’s influence and hilarity. Sure, I hope Last Friday is good, period. But I do hope there is respect to be had for everyone who is no longer with us. I mean, Cube is spearheading it, so of course it’ll be done. I don’t see it not happening. Also, it would be surreal to see Smokey come back… But yeah, overall, it’s about time that this got announced!***