Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Director:

John Singleton

Writer (WGA):

John Singleton (written by)

Release Date:

12 July 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Once upon a time in South Central L.A. ... It ain't no fairy tale

Plot:

Saga of a group of childhood friends growing up in a Los Angeles ghetto.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Violence | Los Angeles | Ghetto | South Central Los Angeles

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Hudhail Al-Amir	...	S.A.T. Man
Lloyd Avery II	...	Knucklehead #2
Angela Bassett	...	Reva Styles
Mia Bell	...	Female Club Member
Lexie Bigham	...	Mad Dog
Kenneth A. Brown	...	Little Chris
Nicole Brown	...	Brandi - Age 10
Ceal	...	Sheryl
Morris Chestnut	...	Ricky Baker
Darneicea Corley	...	Keisha
John Cothran Jr.	...	Lewis Crump
Ice Cube	...	Doughboy
Na'Blonka Durden	...	Trina (as Na' Blonka Durden)
Susan Falcon	...	Mrs. Olaf
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	...	Officer Coffey (as Jesse Ferguson)
Tyra Ferrell	...	Mrs. Baker
Laurence Fishburne	...	Furious Styles (as Larry Fishburne)
Dedrick D. Gobert	...	Dooky
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Tre Styles
Regi Green	...	Chris (as Redge Green)
Kareem J. Grimes	...	Ice Cream Truck Kid
Tammy Hanson	...	Rosa
Valentino D. Harrison	...	Bobby - Age 10 (as Valentino Harrison)
Desi Arnez Hines II	...	Tre - Age 10
Baha Jackson	...	Doughboy - Age 10
Dee Dee Jacobs	...	Renee
Kirk Kinder	...	Officer Graham
Meta King	...	Brandi's Mom
Regina King	...	Shalika
Leanear Lane	...	Gangster #2
Nia Long	...	Brandi
Whitman Mayo	...	The Old Man
Donovan McCrary	...	Ricky - Age 10
Don Nelson	...	Gangster #1
Jimmy Lee Newman	...	Kid
Malcolm Norrington	...	Knucklehead #1
Alysia Rogers	...	Shanice (as Alysia M. Rogers)
Esther Scott	...	Tisha's Grandmother
Leonette Scott	...	Tisha
Vonte Sweet	...	Ric Rock
Baldwin C. Sykes	...	Monster
Raymond D. Turner	...	Ferris
Yolanda Whittaker	...	Yo-Yo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Singleton	...	Mailman (uncredited)
Chris Tucker	...	Gangster #3 (uncredited)

Directed by
John Singleton

Writing credits (WGA)
John Singleton		(written by)

Produced by
Steve Nicolaides	....	producer

Original Music by
Stanley Clarke

Cinematography by
Charles Mills		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bruce Cannon

Casting by
Jaki Brown

Art Direction by
Bruce Bellamy

Set Decoration by
Kathryn Peters

Makeup Department
Marietta Carter-Narcisse	....	makeup artist (as Marietta A. Carter)
Sterfon Demings	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Steve Nicolaides	....	unit production manager
Chantal Feghali	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Simone Farber	....	dga trainee
Eric Jones	....	second assistant director
Don Wilkerson	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Shirley Moore	....	assistant property master (as Shirley A. Moore)
Willie J. Thompson	....	property master
Michael D. Costello	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Elizabeth Flaherty	....	art department coordinator (uncredited)
Amanda J. Flick	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Johnathon Gallagher	....	painter (uncredited)
Caryn Marcus	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Pamela Bentkowski	....	special effects editor (as Pam Bentkowski)
Ruth Bird	....	assistant adr editor
Veda Campbell	....	sound mixer
Lucy Coldsnow-Smith	....	dialogue editor (as Lucy Coldsnow)
Don Digirolamo	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dean Drabin	....	adr mixer
Patrick Drummond	....	supervising sound editor
Robert Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Bob Glass)
Wayne Griffin	....	dialogue editor
Paul Massey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Karen Minahan	....	assistant special effects editor
Bob Newlan	....	sound effects editor
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Michael A. Patillo	....	boom operator (as Michael Anthony Patillo)
Brenda Sowa	....	assistant special effects editor
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Renee Tondelli	....	adr editor
Tim Song Jones	....	sound transferer (uncredited)
Greg Orloff	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Randy Singer	....	foley recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David Domeyer	....	special effects coordinator (uncredited)
Thomas M. Ficke	....	special effects coordinator (uncredited)

Stunts
Ousaun Elam	....	utility stunts
Bob Minor	....	stunt coordinator
Gerard G. Williams	....	utility stunts (as Gerard Williams)

Camera and Electrical Department
Judson S. Brown	....	second assistant camera
Tony Brown	....	dolly grip (as Tony A. Brown)
Sherman Fulton	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Anthony Gaudioz	....	camera operator (as Tony Gaudioz)
Elisha Harris	....	chief lighting technician (as Eli Harris)
D. Stevens	....	still photographer
Robert A. Torres	....	first assistant camera
Chuck Wells	....	key grip
Derek Wells	....	best boy grip (as Derek E. Wells)
Kenneth Estes	....	video playback operator (uncredited)
Chuck Sorensen	....	electrician (uncredited)
Bobby Thomas	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Darin D. Brown	....	casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Darryle Johnson	....	wardrobe: men
Sharlene Williams	....	wardrobe: women (as Shirlene Williams)

Editorial Department
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Lisa Cholodenko	....	post-production assistant
David Giammarco	....	assistant film editor
Margaret Guinee	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Jamie Forester	....	music editor (as Jamie Gelb)
Raoul Roach	....	music supervisor
Jeff Marsh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
James R. Brown	....	transportation coordinator (as James Brown)
Joseph E. Knott	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Gregory Allain	....	production assistant
Judith Alonso	....	assistant: Mr. Nicolaides
Gabrielle D. Buford	....	production assistant
Wendy Renskowski Dale	....	assistant accountant (as Wendy Renskowski)
Jeanie Daniels	....	payroll accountant
Therese J. Davis	....	unit publicist
Doris Nomathande Dixon	....	production assistant
Joseph Doughrity	....	production assistant
Linda Folsom	....	production coordinator (as Linda Allan-Folsom)
Dawn Gilliam	....	script supervisor
Katha Jones	....	production accountant
Steven D. Levine	....	production assistant
Kojo Lewis	....	location manager (as Ernest Kojo Lewis)
Melissa Maxwell	....	assistant: Mr. Singleton
Melody Phillips	....	craft service
DJ Pooh	....	drive-by sequence and beats
Brent Rollins	....	logo artwork
Alex S. Samuel	....	production assistant
Dion B. Vines	....	production assistant (as Dion Vines)
Kendrick Wallace	....	production associate (as Kendrick J. Wallace)
Earl West	....	key assistant location manager (uncredited)

Thanks
Spike Lee	....	thanks
Danny Singleton	....	thanks
Sheila Ward	....	thanks (as Sheila L. Ward)
Fred Williams	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1995) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar Films AB (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1994) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (Argentina)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Filmayer (Spain)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (video)

Special Effects

• Special Effects Unlimited

Other Companies

• Cherokee Studios  music recorded and mixed at
• Cinema Research  titles and opticals
• Clairmont Camera  thanks
• Larry Larson's Continental Catering  catering
• Qwest Records  soundtrack
• The Lench Mob  thanks
• The Nation of Islam  thanks
• USC Film & Writing Program  thanks
• Woodworth Elementary School  thanks

Also Known As:

Boys in the Hood (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Laurence Fishburne who plays Cuba Gooding Jr.'s father is only six and a half years older than him in real life

Goofs:

Continuity: Furious loads his gun twice to shot at the robber.

Quotes:

[Tre answers the phone]
Tre Styles: Who dis?
Reva Deveraux: Boy, what are you talking about, "Who dis?" I know you been raised better than that! Now put your father on the phone.
Furious Styles: Who dis?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Critic: A Little Deb Will Do You (#1.5)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Let's Go

Remarkable Film From First-Time Director

An exemplary directorial debut from John Singleton, who managed to create an American classic with his first effort.

As we follow Tre Styles from childhood toward becoming a young adult (as played effectively by Cuba Gooding, Jr.), and attempting to dodge, with the cautious guidance of his parents, the many dangers and risks associated with growing up in inner-city America, the sense of ever-present danger and, often, hopelessness associated with attempting to avoid falling into the cracks of society is abundantly clear.

In the role of Tre's troubled friend Dough Boy, Ice Cube is something of a revelation, and his balanced performance, alongside Singleton's excellent script, prevent him from becoming merely another gangster caricature. Lawrence Fishburne and Morris Chestnut add further depth to a strong cast.

All in all a very real, gritty depiction of the challenges faced at every turn by African American men and women in modern America. The building anger bristling beneath the surface in so many scenes is particularly resonant given the outburst of violence in the Rodney King Riots that took place in the very same city of the story just one year later.

The film spawned several 'urban gang flick' imitations in subsequent years, but most glorified violence and placed an emphasis on a loud soundtrack and sexual explicitness at the expense of strong plot-line, good character development and a serious social message.

All three are to be found in Boyz N the Hood.