Menace II Society, released May 26, 1993 by Warner Bros., is an American urban crime drama movie set in and around South Central Los Angeles. It is rated R by the MPAA for violence, intense language and drug use. Several different versions exist for this motion picture. The character Sharif was originally supposed to be played by Tupac Shakur, although Shakur was later fired due to a dispute in which he wanted to do play someone else, so Larenz Tate was his replacement. A prison riot scene was cut from this motion picture to avoid receiving an NC-17. "Menace II Society" received positive reviews by critics.