Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1991: Laurence Fishburne in Boyz N The Hood

Laurence Fishburne did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Jason "Furious" Styles in Boyz N The Hood.

Boyz N The Hood is a very well made film depicting the lives of three black youths in a Los Angeles ghetto.

Laurence Fishburne portrays Furious who is the father of one of the boys Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.). In terms of the film Furious seems to be the only father present in the place. There are other people with children but Fishburne's character is the only one who seems to take the responsibility to be a proper father. Fishburne's performance very much stands out as he creates the only real authority figure in the whole film who actually knows what he is doing. Fishburne importantly right form the get go makes it clear that Furious is going to stand out as a character who stands firm in the film who stands straight up to the task of being a man who will actually do what must be done to make his son turn out right.

Fishburne is very effective in the role by taking a determined straight forward approach with the character of Furious. He realizes quite well who takes a stern approach to raising his son to ensure that his son does not fall to the various problems that face him growing up. Fishburne's performance works because he does not stress just one aspect of Furious as a father but instead combines the elements of the man. Fishburne gets across that Furious is firm, he is unrelenting in his manner and is the powerful presence he should be. There is a clear determination in his performance that always succeeds in getting across the strength of Furious as a man and makes it clear that Furious is a man who will make Tre the man he should be.

Fishburne gets across the stern qualities of Furious well but just as well he gets across that Furious very much loves his son. Fishburne has some natural chemistry with both Gooding Jr. and Desi Arnez Hines II who play the old and young Tre respectively. Fishburne has some well placed warmth in his performance. He shows Furious to always be interested and welcoming in his manner of dealing with his son yet. Fishburne has an energy and he succeeds in making Furious an encouraging figure and a wise one. Fishburne is very good in all of the scenes where Furious delivers one of his sermons because he always succeeds in portraying his knowledge in a firm fashion that always suggests the good intentions within what he says.

This is a strong performance by Fishburne and he stands well as the good stable presence within a film that is anything but otherwise. He meets of the demands of his character very well because he does not make Furious just one type of father. He brings about the firmness and shows exactly why Furious's does succeed with his son and why Tre ends up turning out the right way. He combines the aspects of the authority figure who keeps his sons problematic tendencies in check but as well as caring father to Tre equally well. Fishburne fulfills his role in the film efficiently bringing his character to life, and through his performance showing not only what Furious does for Tre, but as well why it is such a problem that the other boys do not have someone like Furious to look up to.