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

Color:

Color (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

An intense, powerful movie...

Before you had BOYS N THE HOOD or MENACE II SOCIETY, there was COLORS. This movie is the original article in urban-street dramas that spawned many followers in the 90's. But like those films it is an intense, powerful movie that takes you to the streets in an extremely realistic way. The caption on the VHS cover says something like two gangs at war(Bloods & Crips)with the police caught in between. Well, that is pretty misleading. Although most films like this would stick with the gang war as the main focus, COLORS has many different plot levels that all come together very nicely. Sean Penn & Robert Duvall are right on the mark as the two officers on the beat. The film ultimately succeeds through its perspectives, giving points of view from all sides and fully expresses the harsh reality that everyone involved faces. When the film first came out, it was bashed for its extreme violence and portrayal of gang members. Well, I definitely think Dennis Hopper did an excellent job and I feel that violence is crucial in a film like this to add to its strong sense of reality which some people may not be too familiar with.