this picture be a disturb but grip urban thriller that detail the life of four youngster who drift aimlessly day by day in search of manhood and self respect . the film offer a realistic slice of street life in a rough neighborhood where family struggle to keep young teen in school and out of trouble . peer pressure and petty crime and violence mark the life of the principal and the lure of a gun and it power result in a showdown between the reluctant omar epps and the psychotic tupac shakur . the young men be on a macho trip throughout the story and square off with rival gang and the police and authority figure and each other . the movie doesn not dwell on the scourge of drug use and pusher but instead essay the come of age of black youth in an urban war zone and the many pitfall they encounter a they approach adulthood . samuel l. jackson and queen latifah be great in support role and the movie have a nifty hip hop soundtrack that add pace to a solid uptown crime drama .