The Horror Show
Tales From the Hood 2
by Rusty Cundieff, Darin Scott
I've stated on many occasions that Tales From the Hood is one of my favorite movies. It's certainly one of the best anthologies ever made in my opinion and my respect for it only grows. As a child I was taken by its entertaining and dark nature and as an adult I've come to appreciate the social commentary and mature spin on issues that transcend the theme. The tales may be told from “the hood” in the frame story, but they certainly don't stay there and neither does the message. When I heard about a sequel, my skepticism was overwhelmed by my excitement. I'm a firm believer that a sequel or remake that turns out to be poor certainly doesn't taint or affect the original, and ultimately the first will still be a great film. Something I still believe. Once again Rusty Cundieff was at the helm, this time co-directing with co-writer of the first film Darin Scott. So, I eagerly checked the sequel out. I have a lot to say so I'll begin just by giving a rundown of the stories with a tiny amount of commentary and then give my overall impression.
The film's frame story once again involves Mr. Simms (this time around played by Keith David). I wasn't sure at first if he was supposed to be the same character from the first or just a spiritual one, or perhaps a reference. The name and eccentric nature lead me to believe the former. He is meeting with a wretched man who owns prisons and is making an AI device called the “Robo Patriot” which he claims will help with cleaning up the streets. Unfortunately, the man is a hardcore racist and sexist and all around awful. One can only imagine how much worse off the world would be with the robot in use. He has hired Simms because of his famous stories and that's essential to the Robo Patriot. You see, the device uses what is called “Real Intelligence” and feeds off the human experience. Right away I thought, “wow... that's a really stupid frame story,” but I gave it the benefit of the doubt. It seemed like it was trying hard to make a reason for the stories to be told, but I could also totally see how the Robo Patriot concept could be on par with the socially-conscious theme of the series.
We move from there on to the first story. I'll spoil the stories in general as little as possible and only give a brief setup and small quip on my thoughts. The first deals with two young women who find themselves in a unique museum that exists to show the ways that the black community has been exploited and abused as part of the American experience. It ends up centering (kinda, sorta) around a doll that one of the young women wants to buy. From there it goes real oddball and has moments that seem like they're making a point, but also seem to be there just for wackiness sake given the rest of the context of the bloodshed. I'm not denying for a single second America's long running love affair with racism, but the segment could have been more concise and actually done something more with it. The first Tales From the Hood certainly didn't provide answers to everything and at times simply held up a mirror to society. This first segment in the sequel however felt more like a valid history lesson that devolves into insanity by the end. There are elements that are definitely metaphorical, but they get lost for me to go hard with the “wtf” element. There is a cameo from one of the dolls in the third story of the original film though, and it was awesome to see the little guy still in play. Plus, there's some good blood and guts so I'll give it that.
The second story deals with a group of gang members torturing an ex-pimp turned humanitarian to find out where he has stashed a large amount of money. The money is intended for a scholarship fund, but the men couldn't care less; they want it. I won't say where it all goes, but it involves a TV psychic and some fun twists and turns. It was in this story that it became especially clear that I wouldn't be able to take this film as seriously as the first one, but I'll admit it's fun and I certainly enjoyed it more than the first story. It makes a few points about the urban landscape, but only briefly, and in the end it’s simply a creative tale.
The third story deals with two young men who are about to meet women under false pretenses. This story is pretty brief and essentially turns into a series of twists, so I won't go into it too much. It isn't bad, but I would call it the most easily forgettable tale when all is said and done.
The last story is the one that reminds me most of something that would be from Tales From the Hood. It isn't nearly as good as anything from the first and, like the movie in general, is more over the top, but it's the closest. It deals with a black man in the deep south who’s participating in a vote that is quite bad for the black community, but he shows his support for his own reasons. He is plagued by images of the past that remind him of the sacrifices made that have given him the life and freedom he enjoys; the very bravery he is now spitting in the face of. It's dark, disturbing at times, and leaves an impression. I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the others, but it was a creative way to get across a message.
The frame story wraps up from there and in the end I'm not sure what to make of the film as a whole. Is it a satisfying follow up to Tales Form the Hood and worth the decades spanning wait? I wouldn't say so, no. Is the film at least a good anthology? At times. Am I glad I saw it? Sure. I found it quite entertaining and it left me wanting a third film in the series.
One pro is Keith David's performance. He totally commits and gives it his all and it's a worthy follow up to Clarence Williams III's iconic acting in the first. The film is also anything but a one trick pony and offers a wide variety of tones, themes, and styles which leads to a roller coaster like feel that I very much appreciate. However, the quality is partially lost in this aspect as well as the film doesn't seem to have the best grasp on what it is. The original film had a consistent tone and style, which I'm not saying is inherently a better thing, but in this case absolutely is. The first film knows exactly what it is, what it's trying to say, and how to say it. This one, however, seems to suffer from trying to do a sequel to satisfy the cult-like following the first film had. I'm not saying a sequel was never intended, but this one seemed like they had to struggle a bit to come up with ideas and keep the concept of the series flowing.
This sequel is a bit more muddled and blunter than the first. By doing this, it loses some authenticity. For example, I'll compare two characters from each film. One of the most memorable characters from the first film is Duke Metger played wonderfully by Corbin Bernsen. He's a horrible racist running for office in the deep south. He's also an ex-Klansman who is clearly far from reformed. He's a racist and a vile person, but he's still a character. The combination of inspired writing and a wonderful performance leads this disgusting individual to be interesting to watch (not to mention cleverly named after two real-life white supremacist pieces of scum). He's awful, he's detestable, but he has personality. He has an unfortunate charm that allows him to act as a snake in the grass, tricking others into thinking he's changed when he hasn't. The main horrid characters in this sequel, however, are nothing more than a collection of bite-sized quips of terrible nature. The filmmakers may as well have just written a bunch of racist, sexist phrases on a notepad and held them up at the camera. Even negative characters need to be entertaining to watch.
This speaks to the issue with the film in general in that the messages are more spoon-fed. The first film mostly speaks for itself in the stories it tells, whereas in this one, they're practically explained to the audience. I am, however, fully willing to admit that there were probably plenty of messages and hidden meanings that I didn't even catch. I respect the creators greatly and know that they've got good heads on their shoulders and creativity on their side.
All in all, I don't have one “single” opinion of the film. I can't say I wasn't disappointed, but I also can't say that I was only disappointed. In the end it was a fun movie that makes a lot of points that I absolutely agree with, even if they're not presented as smoothly and nuanced as in the original. A sequel still needs to speak for itself and I at least appreciate that it didn't try to be a carbon copy of its predecessor. So, I won't tell fans of the original that they are in for a completely satisfying treat, but I also won't sway anyone from giving it a chance.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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