...and a bit obvious to at least me as a viewer. Why can't the parents see what is going on if I can see it from just about frame one and one outsider says the whole problem in one sentence clearly stated as he speeds away from town? The locale is one of those HOA standalone developments in the prairie that was built from end to end as a planned community. The location is never mentioned. The filming was done in Aurora,Colorado, but it appears to be possibly an exoburb of a large city in California (LA/SF/SD??) that is far enough away from the city that urban criminals will not be hanging around, and if they do will stick out like a non-white thumb, yet close enough that "dad" can still commute. This film was made at the tail end of an era in which the majority of wives stayed at home while dad trudged to work every morning. All of the apartments look alike. All of the houses look alike. The high school looks like a prison and seemingly has no history or traditions and is named after the development for which it was formed - New Granada.
There are tennis courts and other amenities for the adults. The problem? There is absolutely NOTHING for the children to do. There is one lone recreation center, but it only has a few pool tables so the kids get together there and share their collective bad habits. Predictably as the children turn into teens they dabble in alcohol, drugs, bored heavy petting and sex, vandalism, and pranks that could turn dangerous - shooting a bee-bee gun at a cop car from an overpass and setting up fireworks to go off underneath cars.
The parents treat the kids like they are some other species. Every incident sparks a reaction from the adults that just makes the kids more rebellious and bored - stay away from your friends! Close down that rec center, it is nothing but a breeding ground for trouble! We need a 9PM curfew! etc. You just want to shake these people and say "Get a grip! These are YOUR kids! How would you feel in this environment? This is not The Village of the Damned!" Then a gun gets into the hands of the teens. They practice shooting cans, they like the power it gives them, then they get into trouble playing a practical joke with it, the cops join chase, and one kid ends up dead. The kid's gun - unloaded at the time.
This causes a final scene that just goes a bit too wild for 1979 suburban kids. It seems like the director said - to quote the film Ed Wood - "I want the film to end with a big explosion". I'll let you watch and find out what happens.
If I have any other criticism at all it is that, although they talk about what they don't want, I never hear enough about what the kids DO want. They never seem quite humanized enough for me in spite of numerous scenes of conversation between each other. However, it is good seeing later talent developing at a young age - Matt Dillon and Vincent Spano in particular. I'd recommend it.
