Black on Black

Images of violent black masculinity are not new in American culture but in the late 1980s and early '90s the social and economic climate in the country contributed to an unprecedented number of films about ghetto life. And while Hollywood reaped financial gains from these depictions the rest of the country saw an ever widening 'opportunity gap' between marginalized groups and mainstream society as well as an increase in juvenile violence. These events added to the existing discomfort of the viewing public with representations of young black males living in urban ghettos.