What makes it different from others?

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is a very good movie and a realistic view of south central at the time. I lived there and this is one of the few movies that showed a realistic view of life. Glenn Plummer should get more props for his acting. Some parts of this movie touched a lot of us on the streets, the acting is great. This movie laid the foundation for other popular hood movies like boyz n da hood and others, but it is much more than a hood movie it takes you through the struggles of life on the streets and how sometimes you can't help the situation that you're in. It tells of a man who had a messed up childhood, and who had to get his life together to save his son from the same hardships that he had growing up without a dad.It ends up being a true love story.. the love between a real father and his son.

I just wanna say that I caught the last hour of the movie, I have no idea how it started but I was watching the DVD lady Jane and I paused to see what's on TV and there it was, South Central, and I watched the part in prison where Ali defends his friend from the mob inside by giving them what they need from cigarettes and services in return to stay away from the black inmate. The encounter between Ali and boy's father where he describes what happened to his son was the most powerful scene I've seen in any movie, it brought me literarly to tears. Another strong scene was the final 5 minutes, I'll let you discover it for yourselves because you'll be blown away, I don't know why the reating is so little in quantity and in quality, I'm giving it a 9/10 for its strong performances and also a great theme where it touches the source of Black gang violence and how a small corrupted group can effect the whole community, on the other hand also how a corrupted gang member can also be saved by a strong willful cultured person like Ali.Great Movie, a must see...

I saw only part of this film on TV, and would have skipped to another channel except I realized that I was seeing some genuine, very good acting, so I watched the movie to the end. Now, I must rent it to get the whole picture. I didn't know Steve Anderson (director and writer) but I now am interested in seeing his other work. This comment may not help other viewers who want to really know the film, but it might pique their interest as my brief peek at the film piqued my interest in seeing the whole film and seeing more that the director has done.

Well intentioned but not brilliant urban drama focused on the live of a young black gang member (Plummer) who goes to prison for ten years and, after been released, tries hard to protect his only son against the bad influence of his ex - partners in crime. The movie is predictable and although sometimes gripping, the overcome is clearly inferior when compared with other movies of the same genre. Anyway, Plummer and Dupree are good in their roles. I give this a 5 (five).