So I sat down and watched both Boyz n the Hood and Do the Right Thing today, based on the great memories I had of them from my youth.

Oh, memories, how you lead me astray.

That’s only half true, I guess. Do the Right Thing was fun to watch again, but I couldn’t help but feel that the logic of the sequence of events was…tenuous, at best. The cops killed Radio Raheem, not Sal. So why does Mookie throw the trash can at Sal’s pizzeria? Sal didn’t kill him. The cops did. That kind of ruined the whole movie for me. Spike Lee spends most of the movie setting the story and characters up, but there’s not much story there. Nothing really happens. This could easily have been a half hour short. Or a 10 minute short, for that matter. That said, it’s fun to watch Spike back when he was so raw. The 25th hour, for example, is a much more polished film (one of my favourite films of all time – I can watch that over and over and over), but you can clearly see that it’s a descendant of his earlier work.

All said, it’s instructive watching the work of one of our most influential directors with new eyes, but its not necessarily enjoyable.

Boyz n the Hood, unlike Do the Right Thing, didn’t leave me with much good to say. Even when I was younger and first watched it, I felt that Menace II Society was the better of the two films. After watching it again for the first time in at least 10 years, I can see why I felt that way. Again, there’s a whole lot of nothing happening for most of the film. Almost a third of it is spent in Trey’s childhood, and the transition to adulthood doesn’t really bring more action or story. Now, on the positive side, the acting in the film is terrific – Lawrence Fishburne reminds me of a current Will Smith, which is good for Smith, Cuba Gooding Jr. is stronger than he was in Jerry Maguire, and Ice Cube plays a very convincing character. The writing, too, is solid throughout, and the direction is great, if a bit dated. The issue for John Singleton is that the story isn’t good enough. I get that the film was probably groundbreaking in 1991, but it’s just not a timeless story.

I’m tempted to watch a few other classics from the era. I’ve never seen New Jack City, Jungle Fever, or Mo’ Better Blues, for example, and I’d love to watch Menace II Society again. That said, I think films like Hustle and Flow are going to provide the standards I judge these older films against. And I’m not sure how they’ll fare.

If you haven’t seen these films, watch them. Each was an important milestone in American cinema. Just don’t expect to be blown away.

Related posts:
Second trailer for Robin Hood undoes damage of first trailer
Incredibly creative
Three Days of the Condor
Robocop….yaay…
Avengergasm