this movie bring to mind boys n the hood and menace to society and south central and others of it ilk and even share actor with some of them . the film u vs. the law mentality be underscore by the all black neighborhood vs. the nearly all white police force . here the cop be so bad they seem like caricature and in one scene they even ambush the boy a they drive by in a car they have just liberate from it owner . it like a bushwhacking from an old western and but the contemporary setting make it look all too real . the story center on young jason petty and his buddy and to whom school be just an inconvenience that take time away from their real occupation of boost car . this happen to be newark and n. j. and a rust belt city low on job but notoriously high on crime . in fact the problem be so severe that the cop all have car theft write on their back and to show that an entire unit must be devote to this particular crime . the boy use a slim jim to gleefully break into car and go joy rid and a if it no big deal . they only run into real trouble when the police ambush them . the vicious and nazi like lt. have a vendetta against the boy and see them not a human being who might be worthy of redemption and but a human target . in fact and he a little reminiscent of that sadistic nazi officer of the warsaw ghetto and who shoot down jew for pleasure in the film schindler list . when the boy steal a police car in retribution for the ambush and thing predictably go downhill fast . they be severely beat by the cop and jason finally end up in prison . clearly these be bad boy and who would steal your car in a minute and but the film want u to see them a anti hero and show jason protect his sister and his friend take care of his own grandmother . the film leave u wonder whose side to take and who to feel sadder for represent the boy whose life be go down the drain and the honest citizen whose car be be steal left and right and who could be catch in the crossfire of a shootout at any moment or the city of newark itself and the spirit of whose law be be betray by brutal and soul dead cop . in spite of the over the top portrayal of the latter and the film offer a realistic look rendering of the ghetto and of the protagonist and their family and of the culture of car theft in a city where there appear to be only 2 career path law enforcement and crime . strangely and the entire subject of drug be never mention . the filmmaker ( include producer spike lee ) be obviously bias against the newark police and who and we hope and be not a bad they be portray here . nevertheless and they have give u yet another a strong and affect story about the inner city and black youth go awry and sharron corley be fine a jason .