A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
While widely praised, others have said this film suffers because it is "cliche". And, you know, I would not disagree with that. Despite not having seen it before, I felt as if I knew every twist and turn by heart. But I don't see this as a negative necessarily, because it makes it sort of the essential Los Angeles gang film -- if you only ever see one, this is probably it.
There is a strange thing about the film, though, and that is we are put in the position to see some of the kids as the protagonists and others as antagonists. But there are few good guys here. Robbery and murder are choices, as is getting your girlfriend pregnant. Why are we supposed to feel this can be so easily forgiven?
While widely praised, others have said this film suffers because it is "cliche". And, you know, I would not disagree with that. Despite not having seen it before, I felt as if I knew every twist and turn by heart. But I don't see this as a negative necessarily, because it makes it sort of the essential Los Angeles gang film -- if you only ever see one, this is probably it.
There is a strange thing about the film, though, and that is we are put in the position to see some of the kids as the protagonists and others as antagonists. But there are few good guys here. Robbery and murder are choices, as is getting your girlfriend pregnant. Why are we supposed to feel this can be so easily forgiven?