Colors (1988)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Dennis Hopper

Writers:

Michael Schiffer (screenplay)
Michael Schiffer (story) ...

Release Date:

15 April 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

70,000 gang members. One million guns. Two cops.

Plot:

An experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Gang | Killed During Sex | South Central Los Angeles | Interracial Relationship

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Officer Danny McGavin
Robert Duvall	...	Officer Bob Hodges
Maria Conchita Alonso	...	Louisa Gomez
Randy Brooks	...	Ron Delaney
Grand L. Bush	...	Larry Sylvester (as Grand Bush)
Don Cheadle	...	Rocket
Gerardo Mejía	...	Bird
Glenn Plummer	...	Clarence 'High Top' Brown
Rudy Ramos	...	Melindez
Sy Richardson	...	O.S.S. Sgt. Bailey
Trinidad Silva	...	Leo 'Frog' Lopez
Charles Walker	...	Reed
Damon Wayans	...	T-Bone
Fred Asparagus	...	Cook
Sherman Augustus	...	Officer Porter

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Norway:18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1989) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1996) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1988) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | South Korea:18 | Australia:R | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Canada:R (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The original script by Richard Di Lello took place in Chicago and was more about drug dealing than gang members. Dennis Hopper ordered changes, so Michael Schiffer was hired and the setting was changed to Los Angeles and the focus of the story became more about the world of gang members.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Larry and Rocket are about to go one-on-one in a shoot-out, the car behind Larry is empty. When the firing starts, the car is full of people.

Quotes:

Frog: [TV version - after the boy got initiated] You screwed up now, man... You joined a gang.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Resident Alien (1990)

Soundtrack:

SALLY GO 'ROUND THE ROSES

Great Acting, Great Directing

Until I checked this out on IMDB, I had no idea that Dennis Hopper was the director. Wow, that says a lot about his directing ability.

In a void, this movie might not be great. Someone from the UK complained about it. I'm not from Compton but, this movie rates up there with the other true-to-lifers like Boyz in the Hood, and other gang related "classics" (as they deserve to be called).

This is a great movie with great acting and a great plotline. It's a pretty realistic view (again, I'm not a gang banger, so maybe my view is skewed) of the gang life in L.A. And it was the first to really portray it... I'm still a big fan of Boyz in the Hood (not for excitement, but for a good story about a tough life). But this was the first (as I recall) and Hopper deserves a great deal of credit for that. Penn and Duvall are fantastic actors and both come through in a big way in this movie.

My personal opinion: This movie has been, by far, underrated...