Have him tough or tender, the Ice man cuts both ways

He may be a hip-hop Hollywood hyphenate, but since his 1991 film debut in John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood,” writer-producer-composer-director Ice Cube pretty much appears on the screen in two shapes and guises.

Trading on his rep as an architect of gangsta rap, the 5-foot-8 actor spends half the time playing a larger-than-life hard guy with a menacing snarl (next on display when he steps into Vin Diesel’s boots in “XXX 2” in 2005).

Otherwise, he’s goofing on that tough image by being the boy from the ‘hood who’s just a little bit square. Oh, sure, he’s no choirboy. He sparked enough chronic in the three-film “Friday” franchise to give Cheech and Chong pause. But in “Barbershop,” he created an inner-city Everyman, the warm-and-fuzzy Calvin Palmer, who sells his daddy’s business only to discover just how much it means to him.

“Barbershop 2: Back in Business” arrives in theaters Friday, hot on the heels of “Torque,” Cube’s latest fast-and-furious action flick in which he plays a hog-riding hard guy.

Which will audiences like best? If past performance is any indication, the nice Cube will not finish last.

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Film character box office (in millions)

NICE GUY

“Friday” (1995)

Craig Jones, amiable but

dopey pot smoker...$27.4

“Three Kings” (1999)

Elgin, a Gulf War gold thief

with a heart of gold...$60.7

“Next Friday” (2000)

Craig Jones, pursuing more reefer madness...$57.1

“Barbershop” (2002)

Calvin Palmer, music

producer and reluctant

hair cutter...$75.8

“Friday After Next” (2002)

Craig Jones, still up in smoke. ...$33.3

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Film character box office (in millions)

TOUGH GUY

“Trespass” (1992)

Savon, second in command of a gang led by Ice-T...$13.2

“Thicker Than Water” (1999)

Slink, gang member hoping to hit it big in music...$0.112

“Ghost of Mars” (2001)

James “Desolation” Williams, 23rd century criminal...$8.4

“All About the Benjamins” (2002)

Bucum, a burly bounty hunter with an obnoxious quarry...$25.4

“Torque” (2004)

Trey, bandana-wearing leader of a biker gang ...$19.7 (to date)

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