Boyz in the Hood to Gangs of Essay

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Boyz in the Hood to Gangs of New York

John Singleton's directorial debut Boyz n the Hood was released to critical acclaim in 1991, depicting with gritty realism the violence awaiting an entire generation of young men living in sprawling cities that were struggling under the weight of endemic urban decay. Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut and Angela Basset, Boyz n the Hood managed to capture the visceral reality of gang-related violence from a truly modern perspective, portraying the story of a vulnerable young man named Tre Styles. The concept of youthful abandonment preceding a life of gang affiliation, criminality and violence is integral to the thematic structure of Boyz n the Hood, as Tre's positive decisions throughout the film are largely influenced by his patient father Furious Styles -- while his friends from the neighborhood lack such steady parental guidance and are increasingly drawn toward the street lifestyle.
In his cinematic update of investigative journalist Herbert Asbury's 1928 book "The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld" -- 2002's Gangs of New York -- award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese managed to accomplish a similar feat to that performed by Singleton a decade before, capturing in starkly dramatic terms the violence and depravity of an urban environment spilling over with desperate, poverty-stricken populations. The protagonist of Scorsese's film is also a young man lacking parental influence, as the orphaned Amsterdam Vallon comes of age in a brutal world defined by the bloody pursuit of political power. Whereas Tre Styles benefits from the advice and wisdom provided by his biological father, Amsterdam Vallon becomes susceptible to the advances of legendary gangland leader Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, and although both parental figures provide a different perspective on the path to manhood, the fact that….....

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https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/boyz-hood-gangs-183379