Bad Boys (1983)

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

Director:

Rick Rosenthal

Writer:

Richard Di Lello

Stars:

Sean Penn, Reni Santoni, Jim Moody

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Chicago crime kid Mick O'Brien (Sean Penn) has been sent to a juvenile prison for vehicular manslaughter. Most unfortunately, the person he kills is the kid brother of his nemesis Paco Moreno (Esai Morales), who vows revenge by raping Mick's girlfriend (Ally Sheedy). Paco is caught and sent to the same prison where he reworks his revenge plan, and Mick has no choice but to defend himself.

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Plot Keywords:

prison rape | murder of a child | male in a shower | man wrapped in a towel | weightlifting | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The nickname of Michael O'Brien (Sean Penn) was "Mick" whilst the nicknames of Lofgren (Clancy Brown) and Warren Jerome (Robert Lee Rush) were "Viking" and "Tweety" respectively.

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Goofs

When Horowitz is going to solitary, his lips do not match what he's saying.

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Quotes

Mick O'Brien: I killed your little brother, but he's dead because you didn't look after him.

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Alternate Versions

When Bad Boys was filmed, at least two scenes had two alternate versions -- both revolving around the same thing. When Tweety and Viking are giving O'Brien his work assignment, the original theatrical version had him on "shit house." The television version, though used the alternate take which has him on "latrine patrol." The same was done when Paco gets into the prison and O'Brien gives him "shit house" in the theatrical version, but in the television version again, the alternate take of "latrine patrol" is used.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Colors/18 Again!/Above the Law/Bad Dreams (1988)

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Soundtracks

Purgatory
Written by Steve Harris (uncredited)
Performed by Iron Maiden
Courtesy Capitol Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Not your ordinary teen movie

I recently saw this movie again (on video, not the uncut DVD). I hadn't seen it in about twenty years, but it affected me the same at 35 as it did when I saw it on cable at 14. It is one of the grittiest, rawest movies I have ever seen, and it works on a visceral level. The performances of Sean Penn and Esai Morales in this film go to show why they have both continued to be two of the hardest working actors in Hollywood. After seeing Penn as Jeff Spiccolli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," I was amazed by his range in this film (although he was excellent in "Racing With the Moon," which if memory serves me right also came out around this time). Morales took what could have been a one-note role and turned it into a caricature of a revenge-bent punk, but his talent even back then was clear that he was up to the challenge of putting emotion into the role and bringing some sympathy to Paco's plight. Clancy Brown and Ally Sheedy were excellent in their roles as well.

The movie worked not just because the acting was great, but because the story moved along at an exciting pace. It was suspenseful and was not overly cliché or pat. Overall, it was an unforgettable movie experience, a strong cautionary tale that still makes people think.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bad Boys

Filming Locations:

William Cullen Bryant School 1355 South Kedvale Avenue, Chicago, IL.

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,171,197, 27 March 1983

Gross USA:

$9,190,819

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,190,819

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Solofilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Astrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1