Colors

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.

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.

Rating:
Summary: The Most Realistic Police Movie I've Ever Seen...
Review: I like this film because it is all 100% accurate as far as what it was like to work CRASH.

Rating:
Summary: A good film exploring gangs
Review: I liked COLORS alot because it's a gritty, but realistic police drama. I grew up in bad urban streets, so I know how bad things can get. I also like the film because it explored the dangerous lives the Crypts and Bloods, who wear blue and red, naturally. There is still a bloody gang war between them, but COLORS wisely tells us they're bad background and potray them as human beings like us, and not vicious animals arrested by the police we see on TV.

Anyway, Dennis Hopper awkardly, but fantastically directed this film with Robert Duvall as a veteran cop and his young, headstrong apprentice Sean Penn, as they lead a Los Angeles gang unit against the petty crime in the streets fueled by the two rival gangs. But the boiled relationship with Duvall's calm manner and Penn's hair-trigger temper won't get them very far to survive in Watt's mean streets. That problem leads to a sad climax.

COLORS is a bit dated now when compared to more brutal, but nearly worthless gang movies nowadays. But it helped paved the way more better ones like BOYZ N THE HOOD and MENACE II SOCIETY. The film is different from both of those movies because it gives us a picturesque view of both the urban gang life and the police life.

Rating:
Summary: From the side streets to the smokin grounds of LA's Gangsta'
Review: I remember first seeing this movie on one of my favourite t.v. channels and was glued to the tube until the ending which I thought was justified. It's about a hot shot cop ( Sean Penn ) partnered up with a soon-to-be retiree (Robert Duvall). The film shows the two generation splits of the same career held in the same town and how it can have great advantages and disafvantages. They chase thugs around and the hot shot cop falls in love with one of the Chicano's ladies. Anyways this movie displays the fast pace of action and dialogue any underrated movie can offer with two talented actors.

Rating:
Summary: ¢olors
Review: Mayn When I First Saw This FliCK I Was Only 10 Years Old. 13 Years Later Still Bangin'. This Gotsta Be The Best Hood Movie Ta Ever CKome Out. Lettin' All The Simps Know How Gang Life Is. This Is One Of Those Movies Where You CKould Wat¢h Over & Over. Alot Of Funny CKameos In This Film. Damon Whaynes Playin A RiCKett, Gerardo(Ri¢o Suave), & Slatter(from saved by the bell) All Wanna Be Hard Its Funny. Anyways The Movie Is Off The Hook. So A Swoop It And Keep It Gangsta.

Rating:
Summary: P-p-p-Penn makes his case (horizontally)
Review: Seeing this with the lads, we'd always get the giggles during Sean Penn's inexplicably interminable love scene. C-c-c-can't stop laughing at his ego. He won't stop bonking 'till all bonks ends. C-c-colors, colors, he's seeing colours.
Sterling work from Messrs Penn and Duvall is thankfully not entirely undermined by some exploitative chase scenes.

Rating:
Summary: COLORS IS COLORFUL
Review: THE BEST THING THIS FILM HAS GOING FOR IT IS THE FACT THAT IT STARS ROBERT DUVALL. DUVALL MAY BE THE BEST ACTOR WORKING TODAY.
HE DESRVES STATUS WITH DENIRO AND PACINO WHO ARE OF EQUIVALANT TALENT.
AND, SEAN PENN DOES A REASONABLE JOB OF PLAYING THE PUMPED UP AGRESSIVE NEW TO THE CRASH UNIT GO GETTER.
THE MOVIE'S DIRECTOR VETERAN ACTOR AND ALL AROUND 'DIFFERENT' HUMAN DENNIS HOPPER DOES A DECENT JOB OF PORTRAYING THE INNER CITY GANG CULTURE IN ALL OF ITS DEGRADED GLORY.
BUT THE FOCUS IS ON THE TWO COPS WHO WORK TOGETHER BUT ARE WORLDS APART.
DUVALL IS 'HODGES' THE SLIGHTLY WORN OUT 'BEEN THERE, DONE THAT' VETERAN WHO JUST WANTS TO WADE THROUGH THE DAY AND GO HOME ALIVE.
OF COURSE PENNS 'PACKMAN' AS THE HOODLUMS LABEL HIM IS JUST THE OPPOSITE. THESE TWO PLAY WELL OFF OF EACH OTHER AS THEIR AGENDAS,PHILOSOPHIES AND METHODS CLASH.
THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO ASSIST ON A DRIVE BY MURDER AND WORK DILIGENTLY TO SOLVE IT.

THIS IS CONTEMPORARY 'ADAM-12' EXCEPT IT IS PAINTED IN THE REAL 'COP' WORLD OF DEATH, DESPAIR, PROFANITY AND VIOLENCE.

THE FILM SEEMS TO STRAY OCCASIONALLY AND THERE ARE SCENES THAT JUST DONT JIVE WITH THE MISSION OF THE MOVIE BUT OVERALL IT IS A GOOD FILM. DUVALLS PERFORMANCE IS WORTH WATCHING THIS FLICK FOR.

OVERALL 'COLORS' IS A COLORFUL FILM.

Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: the chemistry between Penn&Duvall give the film it's edge.i remember going to see it .at the time Phil Donahue was doing a special on gangs and this film came out.the film covered alot of bases.good solid performances all the way around.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless themes
Review: The thing I like most about this film is that it contains themes that are applicable to life in general, not just gang or cop stuff. I first saw this at age 16 and it left a lasting impression on me.

McGavin (the Penn character) is the classic hard-charging rookie cop, trying to save the world his first day out on the beat. Hodges (the Duvall character) is the maybe not-so classic seasoned veteran cop who takes his job one incident at a time.

The main theme can be summed up in the exchange between McGavin and Hodges at the food stand while they're having coffee break. Hodges is using a story to try to get his point across to McGavin...P>A secondary theme is the conflict between the McGavin and Hodges and their fundamental differences in outlook. Hodges outlook is (paraphrased, since I don't remember it exactly), "It's like having two heads. One says red, the other's sure to say green... after a while you don't point fingers and lay blame. You see what it is and just leave it."

I thought Duvall was superb in this film, even though as a teen I first got it to see Sean Penn. ;-) I think the desperation of gang life is portrayed well, I dont' know how accurate it is, but the point was made with me.