And the scene where Cain beat Chauncey is parallel to Tommy beating Billy Batts in Goodfellas
The voice over narration from kid to adult. The crazy killer friend. The one take scene that introduces all the "gangsters"
It borrowed heavy.
But again there is a reason people remember Chauncey and O'Dog. Clifton Powell and Larenz Tate are really good actors. Glenn Plummer & Charles Dutton just stand out in the one scene they have.
I think there's a reason a movie like Clockers still generates extra layers years later. Yea it had a few rappers, but thats almost like acknowledging era. Rappers are street dudes who dont really matter to the plot. However, the main characters are filled with a bunch of great actors. So even as raw and exciting as Menace is you're only essentially waiting for another good actor to pop up that keeps you locked in.
