這些 hood film 的故事圍繞在貧民青年的血氣方剛、陳述警方的不公以及街頭的少年衝突,加上運鏡風格、突兀色彩與嘻哈音樂所營造的衝擊性,創造迥異於黑色幫派電影的另一種形式,也於 90 年代引發一波 hood film 的風潮。其後的經典作品包括《街區男孩》(Boyz n the Hood, 1991)、《直出布魯克林》(Straight Out of Brooklyn, 1991)與《星期五》(Friday, 1995)等。其中,由約翰.辛格頓(John Singleton)執導的《街區男孩》,曾獲譽為史上黑人電影之最。
薩爾的大兒子皮諾,非常厭惡黑人,認為黑人根本是不理性的野生動物(典型的種族歧視)。他會直接欺侮口吃但自力更生的黑人史麥力(Smiley, 由 Roger Guenveur Smith 飾演),也一直與父親爭執應該要搬離 Bed-Study 街區,回到義大利裔的生活圈,因為他極為厭倦因為居住區域而被義大利朋友嘲笑。
皮諾暴躁衝動,不僅對黑人出言不遜,也對自己的弟弟動粗,因為弟弟維多與爸爸薩爾一樣,與黑人之間沒有明顯的種族隔閡,對來到店裡消費的黑人友善且信賴,尤其是來打工的主角牧奇(Mookie, Spike Lee 主演)。
市長老爹迷戀著日日坐在自家窗口的大姨媽(Mother Sister, Ruby Dee 飾演,現實中,市長老爹與大姨媽是夫妻),他每天遊走大街,去看看大姨媽,也順手幫幫街坊鄰居的年輕人與小朋友。市長老爹給年輕人的人生建議,就是「為所應為(Do the right thing)」,這也是他個人的行事原則,例如不顧自己生命安危,拯救一個即將被小貨車衝撞的小男孩。
首先,白人警察誤用警力與過度執法,肯定不是為所應為。在 80 年代,有諸多紐約警方在街頭施暴過度,造成無辜黑人青年致死的案例,這也是為何《為所應為》在電影結尾,會列出致敬的青年犧牲者:Eleanor Bumpurs, Michael Griffith, Arthur Miller Jr., Edmund Perry, Yvonne Smallwood, and Michael Stewart,這些都是在 1980 年間,因為種族衝突與警方執法過當而犧牲生命的受害者。
但是,黑人青年在這類衝突事件中,也並非毫無責任。例如,巴金奧不理性地在無辜白人商店鬧事,也不是為所應為。只是,雖然鬧事者是巴金奧,犧牲者卻不是他本人,而是他人的財產與生命──薩爾披薩坊被劫、被毀、被燒,以及更悲傷的是,賠上拉辛(Radio Raheem, Bill Nunn飾演)的生命。
但是,李在電影中使用許多象徵語言。例如,在一日之內,有炎熱的夏天,火紅的牆面、到滿身暴汗的路人,從早晨累積火爆的能量到夜晚,直至一發不可收拾。雖然,此間曾經以水、冰調和,像是消防栓水柱冷卻炙熱,還有叫賣的剉冰幫忙消暑,但是那些熊熊燃燒在種族之間的烈火,始終難以消弭,尤其是在熱烈的嘻哈音樂,隨著拉辛的收音機,熱播在街頭的每個角落:Fight the power!
最後,以下是《為所應為》在結尾處的兩段節錄,金恩博士與麥爾肯 X 的黑人人權運動主張,我們也可以在閱讀之後,自己思索此間的智慧拿捏:
Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by destroying itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
I think there are plenty of good people in America, but there are also plenty of bad people in America and the bad ones are the ones who seem to have all the power and be in these positions to block things that you and I need. Because this is the situation, you and I have to preserve the right to do what is necessary to bring an end to that situation, and it doesn't mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don't even call it violence when it's self- defense, I call it intelligence. - Malcolm X