Bad Boys (1983)

Director:

Rick Rosenthal

Writer:

Richard Di Lello (written by)

Release Date:

25 March 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In their world, if you're 17 and still alive you're a survivor [Video Australia]

Plot:

Chicago crime kid Mick O'Brien is sent to reform school after accidentally killing Paco Moreno's kid brother.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Revenge | Murder | Showdown | Gang

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Mick O'Brien
Reni Santoni	...	Ramon Herrera
Jim Moody	...	Gene Daniels
Eric Gurry	...	Horowitz
Esai Morales	...	Paco Moreno
Ally Sheedy	...	J. C. Walenski
Clancy Brown	...	Viking Lofgren
Robert Lee Rush	...	Tweety
John Zenda	...	Wagner
Alan Ruck	...	Carl Brennan
Tony Mockus Jr.	...	Warden Bendix (as Tony Mockus)
Erik Barefield	...	Terrell
Dean Fortunato	...	Perretti
Lawrence Mah	...	Ricky Lee
Jorge Noa	...	Carlos
Ray Caballero	...	Pablo
Martha De La Cruz	...	Mrs. Moreno
Ray Ramirez	...	Mr. Moreno
Eugene J. Anthony	...	Robert Walenski
Andrew Gorman	...	Detective Moran
Marco A. David	...	Pacito
Don James	...	Black Gang Leader (as Donald James)
Jane Alderman	...	Woman Victim
Rick Rosenthal	...	Judge (as Richard L. Rosenthal)
Fran Stone	...	Vicki O'Brien
Omar S. Saunders	...	Johnson
Kevin Springs	...	Roberts
Eric David	...	Lineup Boy #1
John San Juro	...	Lineup Boy #2
Adam Pelty	...	Teen Gun Dealer
Robin Coleman	...	Squad Car Cop
Marvin Townes	...	Bad Dude #1
Aaron Holden	...	Bad Dude #2
Bill Martin Jr.	...	Truck Driver
Myles O'Donnell	...	Worker
Edward Kearns	...	Lineup Sergeant
Brenda Joyce Minor	...	Policewoman
Richard Lee Padget	...	Guard
Peter Kirkpatrick	...	Mess Hall Supervisor #1
David Barrett	...	Mess Hall Supervisor #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sal Amato	...	Inmate On Rail (uncredited)
George Barrow	...	Bit (uncredited)
Jason Gedrick	...	Inmate (uncredited)
Peter Kobernik	...	Food Supervisor (uncredited)
Robert Minkoff	...	Bit (uncredited)
Dick Sollenberger	...	Van Driver (uncredited)
Rob Wimberly	...	Bad Boy (uncredited)
Roderick Wimberly	...	Bad Boy (uncredited)

Directed by
Rick Rosenthal

Writing credits
Richard Di Lello		(written by)

Produced by
Marty Hornstein	....	associate producer (as Martin Hornstein)
Robert H. Solo	....	producer (as Robert Solo)

Original Music by
Bill Conti

Cinematography by
Bruce Surtees
Donald E. Thorin		(director of photography) (as Donald Thorin)

Film Editing by
Antony Gibbs

Casting by
Jane Alderman
Mary Gail Artz
Howard Feuer
Jeremy Ritzer

Production Design by
J. Michael Riva

Art Direction by
Maher Ahmad

Set Decoration by
Richard Reams

Makeup Department
Jay Cannistraci	....	makeup artist
Kathe Swanson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Marty Hornstein	....	unit production manager (as Martin Hornstein)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William M. Elvin	....	second assistant director (as Bill Elvin)
Katterli Frauenfelder	....	second assistant director
Pat Kehoe	....	first assistant director
Thomas J. Mack	....	first assistant director (as Tom Mack)
Bob Roe	....	second assistant director (as Robert Roe)

Art Department
Maher Ahmad	....	set designer
Harry N. Haase	....	stand-by painter (as Harry Haase)
Aaron Holden	....	property master
Dennis Lindbergh	....	assistant property master
Gordon Meloeny	....	leadman
James Prerost	....	swing gang
Joel Prihoda	....	swing gang
Thomas Sedor	....	swing gang
Paul Stanley	....	stand-by painter
George Stokes	....	construction coordinator
Timothy W. Tiedje	....	assistant property master
Paul Stanwyck	....	head painter: Chicago (uncredited)

Sound Department
David Dockendorf	....	dubbing mixer (as Dave Dockendorf)
John Elizalde	....	sound editor
Don MacDougall	....	dubbing mixer (as Don Mac Dougall)
Art Rochester	....	sound mixer
Richard Thornton	....	boom operator
Richard Tyler	....	dubbing mixer
Jack S. Wiener	....	sound recordist (as Jack Wiener)

Special Effects by
Bob Shelley	....	special effects

Stunts
Dean Jeffries	....	stunt player
Gray Johnson	....	stunt player
Denver Mattson	....	stunt player
Ron Oliney	....	stunt player (as Ronald Oliney)
Walter Robles	....	stunt player
Chuck Waters	....	stunt coordinator
Chuck Waters	....	stunt player

Camera and Electrical Department
Kirk Bales	....	dolly grip (as Kirk Bayles)
James F. Boyle	....	gaffer (as James Boyle)
Ted Churchill	....	Steadicam operator
Ted Churchill	....	panaglide operator
Bob Coyle	....	still photographer
Peter Davidian	....	best boy electric
Ronald Garcia	....	video playback coordinator
Brian C. Glover	....	assistant camera (as Brian Glover)
Rob Hahn	....	assistant camera
Daniel R. Jordan	....	key grip (as Danny Jordan)
Frank Miller	....	camera operator
William R. Nielsen Jr.	....	assistant camera (as Bill Nielson)
Joe Pennella	....	director of photography: second unit
Jeffrey R. Renfrow	....	key grip: Chicago (as Jeff Renfrow)
Charles Saldana	....	key grip
Donald Schmitz	....	best boy grip
Mark Simon	....	second assistant camera
Don Smetzer	....	still photographer
Tom Stern	....	gaffer
Robert Swander	....	gaffer: Chicago (as Bob Swander)

Casting Department
Elizabeth Geddes	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mickey Antonetti	....	costumer
Jay Hurley	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
William Essary	....	assistant film editor
Aubrey Head	....	color timer

Music Department
Douglas M. Lackey	....	music editor (as Doug Lackey)
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer

Transportation Department
Billy Martin	....	transportation captain (as William Martin Jr.)
Richard Padgett	....	transportation coordinator (as Richard Padget)

Other crew
Kathy Bitinas	....	first aid
Jeanne Caliendo	....	production assistant (as Jeannie Caliendo)
Nancy Froelich	....	production assistant
Rochell Linker Goodrich	....	assistant: Mr. Rosenthal (as Rochelle Linker)
Clayton Hartley	....	production assistant
Graham Henderson	....	production executive: EMI
Billy Higgins	....	location manager
Kevin Barry Howe	....	production assistant (as Kevin Howe)
Joan Merlo	....	production office coordinator
Stephanie Moore	....	location manager
Marsha Morgan	....	assistant production office coordinator
Paul Pascarella	....	title designer
Sioux Richards	....	script supervisor
Anne Strick	....	unit publicist
Michael Sudalnik	....	craft service (as Michael Sudalnick)
Walter Tabayoyong	....	stand-in
Marvin Towns Jr.	....	production assistant (as Marvin Townes)
Lynn Hendee	....	production executive (uncredited)

Thanks
Jane Byrne	....	the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them (as Hon. Mayor Jane M. Byrne)
James R. Thompson	....	the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them (as Hon. Governor James R. Thompson)

Production Companies

• EMI Films
• Solofilm (as Solofilm Company)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• Artisan Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Artisan Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Facets Multimedia Distribution (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Associated Film Distribution (AFD) (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• Kinosto (1984) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Alliance Video (1998) (Canada) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Arcade Movie Company (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Atlantic Film (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2009) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Future Film (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Lumiere Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1995) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Thorn EMI Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Thorn EMI (????) (UK) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• VL-Musiikki (2012) (Finland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)

Other Companies

• City of Chicago Mayor's Film Office, The  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them
• Gomillion Sound  post-production facilities
• Illinois Department of Corrections  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them
• Illinois National Guard  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Pickwick/Maslansky/Koenigsberg Inc.  publicity (as Pickwick-Maslansky-Koenigsberg)
• St. Charles Youth Correctional Facility  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them
• State of Illinois Attorney General's Office  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them
• State of Illinois Film Office  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them
• State of Illinois Military and Naval Departments  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them
• Statesville Adult Correctional Facility  the producers would like to express their appreciation to: for the courtesy and cooperation extended to them

Also Known As:

Runtime:

104 min | UK:123 min (original release) | Sweden:105 min | USA:123 min (original release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Astrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:R | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1983) | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R (#26898) | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Singapore:M18 | Canada:R (Canadian Home Video rating) | UK:18 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1983) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2002)

Filming Locations:

1831 S Racine Ave, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

To play youth thug Mick o'Brien, actor Sean Penn wanted to have his perfect teeth filed down and capped with ugly tops and have "maybe a few cracked ones" but Penn's mother, a dentist's daughter, intervened, ruling that "ruining perfectly good teeth is definitely going too far!".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious mannequin that Mick hits into when crashing the car.

Quotes:

Warden Bendix:One way or the other, I'm going to get to the bottom of this.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Island of Fire (1990)

Soundtrack:

Don't Go Away

Strong performance from Penn; albeit a somewhat disappointing movie

"Life Has Pushed Him Into A Corner... And He's Comin' Out Fighting."

I had high hopes for "Bad Boys" as Sean Penn is my all-time favourite actor and as he's well renowned for his aggressive and usually powerful performances it looked interesting to see him in his youth in a prison movie. Penn plays Mick O'Brien, a 16 year-old Irish-American hood from Chicago who attempts to rip off a local hoodlum named Paco. Everything goes pear-shaped, and Mick ends up killing Paco's kid brother in an accident. The courts are sick of Mick, and finally decided to clamp down on him and give him a prison sentence. However, since he is under 18, he is sent to Rainford Juvenile Correctional Facility - which sees most of it's young inmates passing out to state prisons when they have finished, rather than be reformed, as Mick will find out, life inside is extremely tough and only serves to make you more aggressive, hard and crazy. Things become somewhat interesting when outside, Paco rapes Mick's girlfriend and is sent to the Facicilty as well. A showdown of course is inevitable.

On the surface, this may look like America's answer to Britain's 1979 film "Scum" starring Ray Winstone. If that's the case, "Bad Boys" falls short in many departments. Sean Penn's performance is one of the movie's strong points, but the film never amounts to the violence or brutality that "Scum" portrayed, and after awhile "Bad Boys" feels like some sort of soap opera thanks to some unrealistic and flamboyant characters such as Mick's cell mate Horowitz and the two bullies Viking and Tweety.

Despite a good performance, I'd never rank "Bad Boys" up there with Sean Penn's best. He's very young in this, so if your a fan of Penn it might be worth checking it out just to see him in one of his earliest films. But if your looking for a hard-hitting prison drama, I recommend you avoid this and watch "Scum".