What a way to start a film.
Two young men, Caine and O-Dog, walk into a Korean owned liquor store for a couple of 40 ounce beers. Straight away the store owner and his wife go on alert. This does not go unnoticed and then the wrong thing is said....
Warning - Violent and sweary.
Menace II Society was the debut film of Allen & Albert Hughes. It was massively controversial on it's release in 1993 and had censorship issues on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK it was unfortunately caught up in the crackdown on film violence that followed the death of little Jamie Bulger and in the U.S. it had trouble even getting a release in the wake of the 1992 L.A riots. One of the defining images of the riots were showdowns between Korean shop owners and African American men who were rioting after the Rodney King courtcase. This real life violence was still fresh in the mind of people when Menace II Society was released.
This scene was a pretty definitive opening statement. It's not hard to see why it caused such a fuss. The film is saying that in America no one trusts young black men, not even other minorities. Caine is trying to be a good man but O-Dog is, to quote a line in the movie "America's nightmare, young, black and doesn't give a fuck." It's a tough scene to watch, even 25 years later but it still hooks you. If you sit through it you're going to sit through the rest of the story too.
This film was released in Bill Clinton era America. A time looked back on now as a golden age. It's obviously wasn't but the present day shitshow would give you rose tinted memories. Imagine how these same young men feel in America now with the place being about two steps from turning into a nazi state? The sense of alienation must be all encompassing.
The world is about to go to hell in a handcart and America is leading the way.
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