Menace II Society (pronounced Menace to Society) is a 1993 American teen crime drama film directed by the Hughes Brothers in their directorial debut. Set in the Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, the film follows the life of Caine Lawson (Tyrin Turner) and his close friends. It gained notoriety for its scenes of violence, profanity, and drug-related content, and also received critical acclaim for the performances of Turner, Jada Pinkett (in her film debut), and Larenz Tate, the direction, and its realistic portrayal of urban violence and powerful underlying messages.