Boyz n the Hood

In 1984, 10-year-old Jason "Tre" Styles III lives with his single mother, Reva Devereaux, in South Central Los Angeles. After Tre gets into an altercation at school, his teacher informs Reva that although intelligent, he lacks maturity and respect. Reva concernedly sends him to the Crenshaw neighborhood, hoping he will learn life lessons from his strict but also caring and attentive father Jason "Furious" Styles Jr., who is also her ex-husband. While in Crenshaw, Tre reunites with childhood friends Darrin "Doughboy" Baker, Doughboy's half-brother Ricky, and their friend Chris Brown. One night, Furious notifies the LAPD, after shooting, of a burglar sneaking into their house who ultimately escapes. An hour later, two police officers arrive: Graham, the white officer, is civil and professional, while Coffey, the black officer, is hostile and demonstrates self-hatred. The next day, Chris leads his friends to a dead body, after which they are harassed by a group of Crips-affiliated teenagers. Later on, while returning from a fishing trip, Tre and Furious notice Doughboy and Chris being arrested for shoplifting. Seven years later, Doughboy, now a Crip, high school dropout and drug dealer, is released from prison. Attending his homecoming party are Chris, now paraplegic from a gunshot wound, and new friends and fellow Crips Dooky and Monster. Ricky, now a star running back at Crenshaw High School, lives with his mother Brenda, his girlfriend Shanice, and their toddler son. Lewis Crump, a visiting University of Southern California recruiter, instructs Ricky to obtain an SAT score above a 700 to qualify for a football scholarship. Meanwhile, Tre, now mature and responsible, hopes to attend college with his girlfriend Brandi Harris. Their relationship is troubled over Tre's desire to have sex, while Brandi is a traditional Catholic who wants to wait until after marriage. At a nighttime street gathering on Crenshaw Boulevard, Ferris, a member of the rival Bloods gang, bumps and provokes Ricky, inciting a confrontation that involves Doughboy flashing a handgun. Ferris fires an automatic weapon into the air, frightening all present into fleeing. As Tre and Ricky flee, they are pulled over by Officer Coffey, who harasses and intimidates them. Tre later retreats to Brandi's house and breaks down in her arms. After she comforts him, they have sex for the first time. The next afternoon, Doughboy and his gang notice Ferris and two Bloods members driving through their neighborhood seeking retribution for the previous night's confrontation. Tasked by Brenda to run an errand, Ricky encounters and fights Doughboy, with Brenda defending Ricky and smacking Doughboy. Ricky's test results are delivered as he and Tre depart. Later spotted by the Bloods, they cut through back alleys to avoid them before splitting up. However, the Bloods locate and fatally shoot Ricky, and a distraught Doughboy helps Tre carry Ricky's bloodied corpse home. Brenda and Shanice, both devastated by Ricky's death, tearfully blame Doughboy for instigating the shooting. Later that night, Brenda and Shanice discover that Ricky scored a 710, enough to qualify for the scholarship he sought. Vengefully taking and loading his father's gun, Tre almost departs to join Doughboy outside but Furious intercepts him, seemingly convincing him to reject revenge. Moments later, though, Furious and Brandi catch Tre sneaking out to join his friends. Later that night, as they drive around the city, Tre comes to his senses and returns home. After Doughboy, Dooky, and Monster unexpectedly encounter Ferris and the Bloods eating outside a fast food restaurant, Monster shoots the fleeing trio in a drive-by shooting. Doughboy then stops and exits his car to approach their bodies; aware Ricky's killer and Ferris are still alive, he coldly murders them. Later that evening, when Tre arrives home, he and Furious silently stare at each other before entering their bedrooms for the night. Doughboy visits Tre the following morning, understanding why he abandoned the gang. Knowing he will face retaliation for killing Ferris, and reflecting on his own lifestyle, Doughboy questions why the plight of those living in the ghetto is ignored by the mainstream media, and laments Ricky's death and his mother's disaffection. Tre embraces him as a surrogate brother. As Doughboy departs and Tre goes back into his house, a postscript from the epilogue text reveals that Ricky was buried the next day and Doughboy was murdered two weeks later. Tre and Brandi ultimately depart in the fall to attend college at Morehouse and Spelman.

Plot from Boyz n the HoodCC BY-SA 4.0