Colors

Rating:
Summary: 600 gangs - 70,000 members
Review: 1988's Colors was the film that opened the Hollywood floodgate that unleashed dozens of films that attempted to capture the "reality" of life on the bottom of the food chain. The plot is simple: Sean Penn and Robert Duvall are two LA Police Department officers who try to stem the flow of violence and drugs on their beat. Duvall is an older and wiser cop on the verge of retirement who realizes how futile his job is. Penn is Danny "Pacman" McGavin, a young cop who believes that to destroy the gangs, you have to fight fire with fire. The rest of the film is director Dennis Hopper's attempt at calling attention to the urban warfare of Los Angeles. Hopper gained the trust of the local gangs and worked with them effectively; the Watts location perhaps being the most effective "character" in the film. Sean Penn is great; his aggression and dedication can't help but earn respect. Surprisingly, Hopper doesn't give Penn a believable racist edge. Instead, he throws in an utterly contrived "romance" with hispanic Maria Conchita Alonso. I felt this was a total cop-out (no pun intended).

Haskell Wexler's cinematography is excellent, though Herbie Hancock's music certainly makes it clear this film was made in the 80's. Dennis Hopper doesn't shy away from graphic violence, but he doesn't lose his grip on reality. Colors was very controversial back in the day, as people protested what they saw as the films glamorous depiction of gangs. In some ways, their warnings have proven prophetic: since Colors, the gangbang lifestyle has gone on to popularization in several movies straight through MTV. And now, even Whites have soaked up the dysfunctional world of the ghetto. Yes, the anti-gang message is there, but children do not respond to messages, they respond to images: Slick crimes and the power of brotherhood. In the end, Colors committs utter resignation to gang violence. The film makes it clear that in our current social environment, all society can do to limit the "gangsta" influence is to isolate it and let it kill itself off.

Rating:
Summary: 600 gangs - 70,000 members
Review: 1988's Colors was the film that opened the Hollywood floodgate that unleashed dozens of films that attempted to capture the "reality" of life on the bottom of the food chain. The plot is simple: Sean Penn and Robert Duvall are two LA Police Department officers who try to stem the flow of violence and drugs on their beat. Duvall is an older and wiser cop on the verge of retirement who realizes how futile his job is. Penn is Danny "Pacman" McGavin, a young cop who believes that to destroy the gangs, you have to fight fire with fire. The rest of the film is director Dennis Hopper's attempt at calling attention to the urban warfare of Los Angeles. Hopper gained the trust of the local gangs and worked with them effectively; the Watts location perhaps being the most effective "character" in the film. Sean Penn is great; his aggression and dedication can't help but earn respect. Surprisingly, Hopper doesn't give Penn a believable racist edge. Instead, he throws in an utterly contrived "romance" with hispanic Maria Conchita Alonso. I felt this was a total cop-out (no pun intended).

Haskell Wexler's cinematography is excellent, though Herbie Hancock's music certainly makes it clear this film was made in the 80's. Dennis Hopper doesn't shy away from graphic violence, but he doesn't lose his grip on reality. Colors was very controversial back in the day, as people protested what they saw as the films glamorous depiction of gangs. In some ways, their warnings have proven prophetic: since Colors, the gangbang lifestyle has gone on to popularization in several movies straight through MTV. And now, even Whites have soaked up the dysfunctional world of the ghetto. Yes, the anti-gang message is there, but children do not respond to messages, they respond to images: Slick crimes and the power of brotherhood. In the end, Colors committs utter resignation to gang violence. The film makes it clear that in our current social environment, all society can do to limit the "gangsta" influence is to isolate it and let it kill itself off.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD ACTIONER ABOUT INNER CITY GANGS
Review: A VETERAN POLICE OFFICER [ROBERT DUVALL] IS FORCED TO WORK WITH A YOUNG KNOW IT ALL COP [SEAN PENN] IN L.A.'S CRASH UNIT. HOWEVER, THEY ARE CAUGHT UP IN A DEADLY GANG WAR. AS TIME PASSES, THEY BEGIN TO RELIZE THAT THE ONLY WAY THEY WILL STAY ALIVE IS IF THEY COME TOGETHER. VERY GOOD MOVIE THAT DEPICTS WHAT IS HAPPENING TOO MUCH AMONG GHETTO AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH. VERY GOOD PERFORMANCES BY THE LEADING STARS. ONLY THING THIS MOVIE COULD'VE WENT WITHOUT IS THE ROMANTIC SUBPLOT BETWEEN SEAN PENN AND MARIA CONCHITA ALONSO. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, A FANTASTIC ACTION MOVIE ABOUT STREET GANGS.

Rating:
Summary: Not my kind of film to watch. Look quick for Mario Lopez
Review: Almost fifteen years after its premiere, I finally decided to see this film for myself. It is not really my kind of film to watch. It was good to see Trinidad Silva again (May He Rest In Peace). I like Maria Conchita Alonso, but I prefer her performance in THE RUNNING MAN (1987). Why Dennis Hopper chose to direct this kind of film I do not know, but I liked him in NIGHT TIDE (1963). Look quick for a young Mario Lopez. There are no special features nor bonuses on this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Not my kind of film to watch. Look quick for Mario Lopez
Review: Almost fifteen years after its premiere, I finally decided to see this film for myself. It is not really my kind of film to watch. It was good to see Trinidad Silva again (May He Rest In Peace). I like Maria Conchita Alonso, but I prefer her performance in THE RUNNING MAN (1987). Why Dennis Hopper chose to direct this kind of film I do not know, but I liked him in NIGHT TIDE (1963). Look quick for a young Mario Lopez. There are no special features nor bonuses on this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: AN UNDERRATED MASTERPIECE
Review: Before Dennis Hopper's "Colors" was released in 1988, no major motion picture had ever really attempted to accurately portray the gritty reality of Los Angeles gang-life. The film comes on fast and furious; the performances are mesmerizing, the violence is unrelenting. Kudos to Penn and Duvall for giving such commanding performance. Ranks among the best films of 1988, and, along with Spike Lee's "Clockers" and John Singleton's excellent if overrated "Boyz N the Hood," "Colors" ranks among the best of the genre.

Rating:
Summary: Sup' Blood
Review: Colors, a realistic account of the irreversible damage done to the city of Los Angeles by gang violence. Robert Duvall is partnered with trigger-happy PAC MAN(Sean Penn) and together the two deliver an action-packed adventure you'll never forget!

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Cop Films of the 80s
Review: Coming from an ex-cop; Modern cops may find this film out-of-date already, because none of the cops depicted in it wear body armor-heaven forbid! Bullet-proof vests are now mandatory for patrol officers in almost every PD in America. Addtionally, they use revolvers, not auto-pistols, and modern cops may think this is way out of date.
The film is totally accurate in many of it's depictions of true gang crime in America, especially in L.A. in the early 80s. Yes, the film came out in about 88, I think, but it depicts the phenomenon of the huge rise in drug and gang related crime in L.A. starting in about 80-82, especially between "Crips" and "Bloods" gangs.
Robert Duvall plays an aging cop who is ROAD (retired on active duty)/ ready to retire, and looking towards the twilight of a career and life well-spent. Duvalls performance as the vet cop unwillingly (volunTOLD) taking young hot-headed rookie Sean Penn under his wing, is a work of art. My own older vet cop FTO (field training officer) was just like Hodges (Duvall). And, I was like Penn-eager for counter-crime action thinking I was the "Guardian of masculinity".
Penns performance in this part is also steller-one of his best, but I think Duvall and Penn are both terrific actors anyway, with many great performances to their credit. The chemistry between the two during the movie, their ups and downs, their learning of each other and the new tactics of the street, is awesome. Dennis Hopper pulled it off remarkably well! It has been said that this film was to cops what "Platoon" was to soldiers of the Vietnam War.
What I liked best about this film, even compared to other modern good-cop/bad-cop films was, Hoppers ability to make things confusing out there on the street. The line between good and bad is obscure, very unclear, and hard to discern. It's not like "Training Day" where things are so black and white, clear between good and bad. Hopper also tackles the issue of cops having affairs with citizens that end up being not so perfect as they may seem. Maria Conchita Alfonso plays an unbelievably superb role as Penns girlfriend who is torn between a desire to get to know him and her affiliation, through family, with a gang. It leads up to one of the great climactic scenes in the movie and great drama.
Cops out there have a tough time balancing between public affairs, todays street crime and constantly changing tactics and Hopper film is a good testimonial to that. If it wasn't for TV shows like COPS, Americas Most Wanted, etc., and films like this, and vast public affairs efforts like community oriented policing and ride-alongs, there might be a great rift between Americas police and the citizens they hope to serve and protect.
After all that pontificating, by the way, this film is pretty darn good entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: THE TURF IS REAL IN "COLORS".
Review: Dennis Hopper presented an unseen vision of Americana with EASY RIDER in 1969. It unsettled the masses. He did the same almost 20 years later with COLORS, a frightfully realistic look at urban gang warfare in Los Angeles. Hopper has always been a talent, both in front and behind the camera. COLORS could only be handled by the likes of an independent spirit like Hopper: It's tough, brutal, no watered down studio gloss, no techno effects. Hopper is an actors director and Robert Duvall and Sean Penn are a perfect fit. The oft told cop story of the veteran and the novice gets an injection of new life: the partners don't like each other, they tolerate each other for the sake of survival. Duvall and Penn give strong expected performances and the story rifles along free of expected cliches. Ice-T, in his rapper days (pre LAW & ORDER: SVU) is featured on the soundtrack.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish But It Could Use More Substance
Review: Hailed by critics as one of the more important films of the 80s, "Colors" nonetheless is a fairly straightforward tragedy--there's no other direction for the story to take. Robert Duvall plays a veteran police officer working L.A.'s mean streets; hothead Sean Penn joins his CRASH anti-gang unit, predictably testing the elder partner's patience and reserve as he just tries to keep the peace and make it through that final year to retirement. Both actors bring more depth to their cliched roles than might be expected, playing off each other surprisingly well, even in moments where they are given little more to do than react. But "Colors" offers no real answers to anything. The cops are presented mostly as well-armed zookeepers, while the gang members, blessed with youth and health but not much brains, run violently about, making the story mostly a series of aimless confrontations. Art imitating life? Maybe. But careful audiences might feel they've been bamboozled, despite director Dennis Hopper's rather lofty take on it. With some scenes that are genuinely tragic and gripping--the shooting of an unarmed suspect and the movie's final scene, to name two--and a romantic subplot that deserved more time--Maria Conchita Alonso seems to just get warmed up as a bad girl flirting with the notion of being good--"Colors" seems to have more going for it than it really does. Watch it mainly for the performances and the suggestion of complexity.