A searing, if bleak portrait of life in the 'hood from Allen and Albert Hughes, twins who were just 20 at the time it was made. Tyrin Turner is the surly adolescent, the son of a junkie mother and a drug-pushing dad, who's torn between nice single mom Jada Pinkett or a life of drive-by shootings and petty crime. There's no denying the visceral power of the Hughes Brothers' vision, but - with the exception of Pinkett - it's hard to have sympathy for any of the characters. Though the film is extremely violent, it only fell foul of the UK censor because of a scene offering tips on how to steal a car.

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.